SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Barton men's basketball team (11-7, 9-2) suffered its second straight loss with a 71-66 setback to Converse (9-11, 7-5) Saturday afternoon at Hannah Gymnasium in a Conference Carolinas contest.
The Valkyries' Ny'gel Boozer (Ridgeland, S.C.) came off the bench to finish with a team-high 23 points and was one of four players to reach double figures as Converse avenged an earlier loss to Barton.
Barton lost despite the play of junior guard
Donaven Hairston (Atlanta, Ga.), who led all scorers with a season-high 28 points to go along with eight rebounds. Barton junior guard
Reese McDonald (Raleigh, N.C.) added 12 points and six steals but the Bulldogs were limited to just two three-pointers in 11 attempts on the day.
The contest featured 10 ties and six lead changes while Jay Mitchell (Clemmons, N.C.) broke a 66-all tie with the game-winning three-point play with 24 seconds left. Barton was held without a score in its final two possessions and Converse was able to pull out the win. Meanwhile, Converse hit eight treys on the day and held a 42-31 advantage in rebounds.
Barton will look to bounce back on Tuesday when the Bulldogs face Francis Marion on the road in Florence, S.C., beginning at 7:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Converse remains at home to take on King Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
