MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – The Barton men's basketball team (13-15, 10-8) finished off the regular season portion of its schedule with an 84-79 win over rival Mount Olive (7-21, 6-12) in a Conference Carolinas contest at Kornegay Arena.
Barton senior guard
Reese McDonald (Raleigh, N.C.) led all scorers with 23 points as 28-year Head Coach
Ron Lievense picked up win No. 500 as Bulldogs' mentor.
Barton senior guard
Jett Fortuny (Cary, N.C.) and junior guard
Trey Crews (Durham, N.C.) both finished with 16 points each as the Bulldogs swept the season series from the Trojans. Crews added 10 assists and seven rebounds to near a triple-double in the victory.
Mount Olive put six players in double figures despite the setback. The Trojans were led by Redford Dunton (Raleigh, N.C.) with 18 points but the home team hit just three-of-16 treys (19 percent) in the setback.
Barton held a 36-35 advantage at intermission and began the second half by scoring the first eight points and never looked back in the win. The Bulldogs also held a 41-38 edge on the boards while Fortuny hit five of the Bulldogs' eight three-pointers.
Barton, the fifth seed in the 2024 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship, will host either No. 11 King (6-18) or No. 8 Young Harris (15-11) in the second round at Wilson Gymnasium on Monday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m.
