SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Barton men's basketball team (15-15) rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit to beat Francis Marion (15-13), 70-67, in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Championship Friday morning at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on the campus of Wofford College.
Barton, the fifth seed in the tournament, will now take on top-seeded UNC Pembroke (21-6) in the semifinals on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Francis Marion was the fourth seed in the tournament.
Barton senior guard
Donaven Hairston (Atlanta, Ga.) came off the bench to score 22 points while senior forward
Trevon Spencer (Columbia, N.C.) added 17 points as the Bulldogs used a 24-0 run in the second half to take control and then hold off the Patriots for the win.
Trailing by a 70-67 margin as time was running out, the Patriots couldn't connect on several three-point attempts on the last possession and the Bulldogs survived for their third straight victory.
Francis Marion, which led by a 23-9 score out of the gate and 46-30 with 17:10 remaining in the contest, was paced by Tionne Rollins (Tallahassee, Fla.) with 17 points and was one of four players to reach double figures for the Patriots.
Barton also put four players in double figures including a dozen by both senior guard
Reese McDonald (Raleigh, N.C.) and junior forward
Marko Krtinic (Indjija, SERBIA) with 12 points each. The Bulldogs shot 59 percent (19-of-32) in the second half that helped key their rally.
