BRISTOL, Tenn. – Barton College sophomore Danny Shand matched a career-high with 27 points in leading the Bulldogs to a 76-71 victory in the semifinals of the 2016 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Tournament Saturday at King University's Student Center Complex.
Shand, who earlier in the day was presented with all-conference honors for the second straight season, scored 18 of his points in the second half to help Barton reach the league's championship game for the first time since 2012.
"Danny played his absolute heart out today," Barton coach Ron Lievense said. "He played like a warrior."
The 5-11 point guard also handed out a game-high four assists and collected five rebounds.
"Shout-out to my teammates," Shand said. "They put me in the right positions and told me to drive the ball, and that's what I did so we could get the 'W.'"
Barton (20-10), the tourney's No. 2 seed, led throughout the game, building a seven point first-half advantage that would grow to as many as 10 with just under 13 minutes left in the game. But Limestone (12-18) climbed all the way back to within one with 7:19 to go.
Even after the Bulldogs pushed their lead to seven with 43 seconds to go, the Saints fought back to within a single possession on four more occasions. It wasn't until Barton's R.J. Claypool was fouled while scrambling for a three-quarter court pass and made two free throws with 0.8 seconds remaining to provide the final margin that Barton could truly celebrate.
"We looked a little sluggish, like we didn't have a lot of energy, but our guys were able to grind it out against one of the most athletic teams in our league," Lievense said. "Those guys (for Limestone) can get to the basket any time they want to, so I was really, really proud of how our guys fought through it."
In addition to Shand's performance, Barton also received 13 points and 10 rebounds from its other all-conference honoree, senior Dominique Byrd. The double-double was the seventh of the season for the Fuquay-Varina, N.C., resident.
Junior Daniel Westbrook scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds, helping Barton to a 41-34 advantage on the glass.
The rebounding effort, particularly 14 on the offensive end, helped Barton overcome 39 percent shooting from the field overall and an anemic 22 percent from 3-point range (4 of 18). So did free throw shooting, where the Bulldogs made an impressive 83 percent (24-of-29).
"I was really happy with our rebounding tonight, especially Byrd's ten and Westbrook's nine," Lievense said. "We didn't finish well at the basket, which was very discouraging. We missed a lot of point-blank layups, and we have to do a better job of that. But I was proud of the overall effort."
The Saints shot 45 percent from the field, but was not much better than the Bulldogs from long range, making just 25 percent (5 of 20). And the Saints were far less successful at the charity stripe, making just 66 percent (12-of-18).
Limestone was led by its first-team all-conference selection, Shaq Dance, who had 22 points and seven rebounds. But Dance was forced to watch his team from the bench down the stretch after he fouled out with 3:35 to play.
Shand had a hand in that, too, drawing a charge against the 6-4 junior from Garner, N.C., on one of his second-half fouls.
With the win, Barton advances to face No. 1 seed and host team King, which defeated University of Mount Olive in Saturday's first semifinal game, 77-69. The Tornado (24-6) won both meetings with the Bulldogs during the regular-season, including a 98-63 thrashing on its home court way back in November.
"King's a tremendous basketball team," Lievense said. "The biggest key for us is we have to handle the ball and not throw it away all the team. And we have to cover their 3-point shooters."
The last time Barton reached the title game in 2012, it defeated a higher seed on its home court, in that case Mount Olive.
Shand and his teammates hope history repeats itself in Sunday's 2 p.m. matchup with the Tornado.
"King's a great team, a lot of shooters," he said. "We've got to stay disciplined and stay committed. We've got to finish our goal, which is to get a ring. That's what we want."
