Box score
WILSON, N.C. --- Junior Daniel Sepokas
(Illawong, Australia) knocked down a pair of clutch three-pointers
late in regulation to propel the Lees-McRae College men's
basketball team into overtime against Barton College on Saturday
evening, as the Bulldogs went on to escape with a 74-71 Conference
Carolinas win in the extra period.
Barton (13-5, 5-3 CC) shot 38.4 percent from the floor for the
night, including a 48.5 percent clip in the first half, while
holding Lees-McRae (5-12, 5-4 CC) to a field goal percentage of
34.5 percent in the contest. The Bulldogs won the battle on the
glass by a 53-42 margin, including a 25-15 advantage on the
offensive boards, while converting 25 Bobcat turnovers into 23
points.
Freshman BJ Battle (Orlando, Fla.) paced the Bobcats with a
game-high 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, including a 4-for-8 night
from beyond the arc, as Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C.) added 11 markers
and a contest-best seven assists. Sepokas chipped in 13 points of
his own, as DJ Brown (Anderson, S.C.) posted nine markers and a
team-high seven rebounds.
Jaren Haley led the way for Barton with 16 points on 6-of-12
shooting, as Gerald Boston chipped in 13 markers and game-highs of
eight rebounds and four steals. Keith Manley added 11 points to go
along with contest-bests of eight rebounds and seven blocks, while
Evan Shelton poured in 12 markers on 3-of-3 shooting, including a
6-for-6 night from the charity stripe.
Barton jumped out to an early 12-5 lead in the first half,
stretching the margin to 31-20 with a 19-15 run that was capped by
a Haley lay-in at the 4:08 mark. The Bobcats cut the advantage to
33-25 on a Battle three-pointer with 2:32 to go in the half, as
Barton took a 36-27 lead into the intermission.
The Bobcats stormed out of the gate in the second half, trimming
the margin to 37-35 with an 8-1 run over the first three and half
minutes of the period, capping the spurt with a freebie by DeAndre
Tillman (Charlotte, N.C.) following a triple by Battle. Lees-McRae
would stay within striking distance for much of the half, not
allowing the Bulldogs to open more than a five-point lead until
Boston drain a clutch layup with 46 seconds to play, pushing the
margin to 65-58.
Sepokas and the Bobcats responded in tremendous fashion, as
Lamot and Jeremiah Henry (Semmes, Ala.) each converted a pair of
clutch free throws before Sepokas hit the shot of the game with
less than 10 seconds left, pulling up from 25 feet out and burying
a contested three-pointer to even the score at 65-65 and send the
Bobcats into overtime.
The Bobcats took the early lead in overtime, as Tillman knocked
down a mid-range jumper at the 3:56 mark before Barton responded
with a 6-0 run, claiming a 71-67 advantage on a freebie by Haley
with 43 ticks left on the clock. Sepokas then came through in the
clutch once again, knocking down another contested three-pointer
with 29 seconds left to cut the lead to 71-70.
Barton's free throw shooters proved to be the difference in the
game's final moments, as Boston and Joseph Veles each converted
from the charity stripe to hold off the Bobcats and earn the 74-71
overtime win for the Bulldogs.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Wednesday, February 1 when
the Bobcats travel to Belmont, N.C. to take on Belmont Abbey
College in conference play at 7:30 p.m.
- LMC -
