MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The Barton men's basketball team (0-2) held a five-point lead against second-ranked Augusta (2-0) but succumbed to the Jaguars by a 77-65 score Saturday on the final day of the Pickle Classic at Kornegay Arena on the campus of the University of Mount Olive.
Augusta, last year's national runner-up, was led by the duo of Miguel Arnold (San Juan, PUERTO RICO) and Tyshaun Crawford (Griffin, Ga.) with a combined 45 points. Crawford tallied a double-double – 23 points and 14 rebounds – while Crawford added 22 points as the Jaguars rallied from a 36-31 halftime deficit to take the win.
Barton sophomore guard
Marcus Boykin (Clinton, N.C.) finished with a team-high 20 points and junior guard
Donaven Hairston (Atlanta, Ga.) also finished in double figures with 12 points but the Bulldogs weren't able to hold an intermission advantage for the second straight game.
Augusta trailed by a 42-39 margin with 14:15 remaining in the contest after a pair of free throws by Boykin before putting together a 20-0 run over the next seven-plus minutes to take complete control of the contest. Augusta held a 48-28 advantage on the boards and limited Barton to just 25 percent shooting (five-of-20) from behind the three-point line in the victory.
Barton returns home to host the annual 45 Second Classic at Wilson Gymnasium beginning next Friday, November 18, against Coker starting at 7:00 p.m. Augusta hosts Fayetteville State next Sunday, November 20, at 4:00 p.m.
