The Barton College (BC) women's basketball team rallied from an early second half run by Lees-McRae College (LMC) on Saturday, Dec. 4, outscoring the Bobcats by a 19-11 margin over the final 10 minutes en route to a 65-46 win in Conference Carolinas play.
BC (6-1, 3-0 CC) connected on 40 percent of its field goal attempts on the night, while holding LMC (0-7, 0-2 CC) to a 36 percent clip from the floor and out-rebounding LMC by a 45-32 margin. The Bulldogs also forced 24 Bobcat turnovers, converting those miscues into 21 points.Kesley Sill poured in a game-high 13 points to pace the Bulldogs, and was joined in double figures by Janae Jackson and Jolanda Mitchell, who each posted 10 points. Mitchell also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while Shante Neal recorded a contest-best two steals.
Icey Patterson paced LMC with nine points and a game-high five assists, as Chloe Parker and Zukye Smith chipped in eight points each. Sophie Witte posted a game-high eight rebounds, while Janina Thurau recorded seven points.
BC jumped out to an early 10-5 lead in the first half before LMC went on a 4-0 spurt to cut the margin to 10-9 on a Smith jumper with 10:31 left in the period. After the teams traded baskets, BC went on a 9-0 run to push the lead to 21-11 on a Sill jumper at the 6:58 mark. LMC cut the margin to 23-17 with a 6-2 spurt before BC closed out the half with an 8-6 spurt to take a 31-23 lead into the intermission.
LMC battled back in the early moments of the second half, opening the period with a 10-2 run to tie the score at 33-33 on a Parker layup with 16:04 to play. BC answered with a tremendous run of its own, reclaiming the lead with a 13-2 spurt to open a 46-35 margin on a Mitchell layup at the 9:51 mark. The Bulldogs would stretch the lead to as much as 20 points over the final 10 minutes of the game, maintaining a double-digit advantage for last seven minutes of the contest en route to victory.
LMC returns to the court at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 30, when it hosts Livingstone College in Williams Gymnasium.
Men’s Basketball: Bulldogs Outlast Bobcats
Gerald Boston tallied game-highs of 16 points and 12 assists to pace the Barton College (BC) men's basketball team to a 93-76 win over LMC in Conference Carolinas play on Saturday, Dec. 4.
BC (5-3, 2-1 CC) posted a field goal percentage of 50.7 percent on the night, including a 59.4 percent clip in the first half, while converting 25 LMC (3-4, 0-2 CC) turnovers into 30 points. The Bobcats shot 43.1 percent in the game, including a 50-percent clip in the second half.
Sam Youse paced LMC with 15 points, knocking down a game-high three shots from beyond the arc. Gerry Hairston chipped in 14 points for the Bobcats, while Daniel Sepokas and Jeremiah Henry each posted 13 points. DeAndre Tillman recorded a game-high two blocks, while Sepokas paced LMC with four assists.
BC opened an early 8-4 lead before pushing the margin to 17-6 on a Boston layup at the 14:52 mark to cap a 9-2 run. LMC cut the advantage to 17-11 with a 5-0 spurt before Barton regained control, pushing the lead to 25-11 with an 8-0 run that was capped by a Coats jumper with 11:11 left in the half.
BC continued to dictate the flow of play, widening the margin to 36-14 with an 11-3 run over the next four minutes. LMC battled back, cutting the advantage to 42-32 with an 18-6 run over the next four minutes, a spurt which was capped by a four-point play by Youse with 3:26 remaining in the half. BC closed out the half with an 8-3 spurt to carry a 50-35 lead into the intermission.
BC carried the momentum into the second half, opening the period with an 18-4 run to take a 68-39 lead on a three-point play by Coats with 15:16 remaining in the game. LMC battled back, trimming the margin to 70-52 with a 13-2 run before cutting the lead to 76-61 on a Sepokas layup at the 9:17 mark. The Bulldogs would push the lead back to 23 points on a trio of occasions down the stretch, before LMC closed out the game with a 7-1 run to equal the final margin of 93-76.
LMC returns to the court this Saturday, Dec. 11, when it hosts Carson-Newman College in a non-conference matchup. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium.
