Box Score by Benny Benton
GAFFNEY, S.C. – Friday night's battle for first place in Conference Carolinas wasn't much of a fight.
Host Limestone College led from start to finish, dominating both ends of the court in handing Barton College a 90-56 men's basketball loss at the Timken Center.
Limestone (17-3, 11-1) shot 57 percent from the field, including nearly 50 percent from 3-point range on 12 made 3-pointers, while holding the Bulldogs (14-5, 9-2) to just 29 percent from the floor overall (19 of 65) and just 7 percent from 3-point range (1 of 14).
The 34-point margin of defeat was the worst for Barton in its last 44 games dating back to early last season at King University, and the 29 percent shooting performance was the worst in more than three years.
The Saints scored the first five points of the game and quickly pushed the advantage to 10-2 just two and a half minutes into play. Limestone made its first four 3-pointers of the contest and BC missed its first three, helping the Saints surge to a quick 18-6 lead by the first media timeout with 14:40 still remaining in the half.
Limestone went on to sink 6-of-13 attempts from 3-point range in the period while Barton went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc, an 18-point difference which accounted for much of Limestone's 21-point halftime cushion (44-23).
Three of Barton's four top scorers on the season, Daniel Westbrook, Isaiah Buck-Lowman and Michael Boykin, were all held without a point in the first half by the league's top scoring defense.
Meanwhile, Limestone's top point producer, Shaun Stewart, nearly outscored the Bulldogs by himself in the period, tossing in 20 first-half points on his way to a 31-point night. Both Shaq Dance (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Donovan Harris (11 points, 10 rebounds) added double-doubles in the contest for the Saints.
Boykin recorded 11 second-half points to match R.J. Claypool as the leading scorers in the game for Barton. Redshirt sophomore Dante Artis matched a career-high with eight points, while freshman Miguel Brown collected a team-high nine rebounds to go with five points.
Barton, the second-leading team in the conference in assists coming into the game, handed out just three against the Saints, highlighting the struggle on offense. The Bulldogs were also out-rebounded by Limestone, 45-32.
BC will have to turn things around quickly, as it will play again on Saturday afternoon in a 4 p.m. matchup at Southern Wesleyan University.
