The Barton Community College women's basketball team trailed basically all game of Saturday evening's conference opener yet clawed its way back from a fifteen point fourth quarter deficit in coming up short 65-63 to undefeated Cowley College.
The result sends Barton to its fourth straight loss in dropping to 4-6 on the season while Cowley improves their unblemished record to 12-0. The Cougars will look to rebound on Wednesday in hosting Coffeyville Community College in a 5:30 p.m. tip.
Barton opened the contest with its lone lead, a Richelle Turney jump shot forty-six seconds following the tip. Following three minutes of scoreless action, Cowley would score the first of their twenty-three first quarter points in leading 23-14 at the horn.
The Cougars cut into the deficit by four in the second frame behind seven points each from Turney and Vanessa Oduah to head to the locker room looking up to a 37-32 score.
The teams played even Steven in the third before a 9-0 Tiger spurt ballooned the margin to fifteen with 6:02 to play.
The Cougars countered with a Turney personal 6-0 run with another seven point stretch capped by Oduah's three pointer with fifty-one seconds remaining cut the game to just 64-63.
A Cowley turnover gave Barton the chance to take the lead, but turnovers plagued the Cougars all night with thirty in the contest as number 28 gave the ball back. The Tigers left the door open with sixteen seconds left on an 0-2 trip to the line leaving Barton the chance to win on a last possession but an early open look three-point shot from Turney was the mark.
A 1-of-2 Cowley charity tosses again left the door open but two more turnovers hit the stat sheet as Barton was unable to get off a last shot to fall two points shy.
Turney led all players with twenty points on the night with Oduah's 3-of-5 from beyond the arc contributing to a new career high eighteen. Queen Ulabo pulled down a career high fifteen points leading Barton to a seven board advantage while dumping in twelve points for her fourth double-double of the year while rejecting a career best five shots.
Barton connected on 49% from the field to just 37.5 for the Tigers but an eleven turnover margin resulting in a twenty-point swing providing the difference.
Seanna Boltz drilled four of her five three-pointers in first half action to lead the Tiger scoring with nineteen points to go along with a six of Cowley's fifteen steals. Kalyne Daniels came off the bend to add seventeen with Shontrice Austin rounding out the double-figure scorers with eleven.