The Barton Community College men's basketball team led for the final thirty-seven minutes Wednesday to complete the Cougars' "Pink Out Night" sweep in running away with an 81-52 victory over 19th ranked Butler Community College.
Trailing 6-4 early, the Cougars went on a 10-0 run to gain separation before closing the half with the final seven to open up an eleven point advantage. Outscoring the Grizzlies by eighteen in the final frame including building a late thirty-one point margin, Barton snapped Butler's four-game win streak of the series and avenged a one point loss last season on the Cougars' home floor.
Barton's third straight victory keeps the nationally receiving votes Cougars in a fourth place conference tie at 13-7 and 18-8 on the year while Butler remains in third place by a half game ahead at 14-7 and 20-7 overall.
The Cougars seek to continue the momentum into Saturday's 4:00 p.m. hosting of Seward County Community College (9-11, 13-13) and split the season series as the Saints won by seven at The Greenhouse to open up the spring semester portion of the schedule.
Cougar Downing got off to a slow start on the evening in missing his first five attempts but heated up to lead four players in double-figures with 17 points. Scoring five straight including a three-pointer mid-way through the second half, Downing moved into the program's top ten career scoring list before burying his 3rd of the game coming at 7:11 remaining mark to tie Carlton Baker's 1034 points during the 1999-01 season for 9th most all-time.
Hannes Saar finished a rebound shy of a double double, adding 13 points with Aime Rutayisire adding 10 points and 7 rebounds helping the Cougars to a plus-17 rebound advantage. Mozae Downing-Rivers put together another solid all-around game of 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists before fouling out with five minutes remaining. Ring Malith contributed 8 points behind a pair of triples and collected 3 rebounds while the nation's leading theft leader Cooper Jackson came away with 4 steals, to go along with, 6 points and 4 assists.
Tahjae Hill was the lone Grizzly to reach double figures with 13 points with Christian Richardson contributing 9 points and 7 rebounds off the bench.
The Cougars shot over 45% for each half with the Grizzlies shooting in the low 30's for each frame in finishing at just 32% including less than 17% from beyond the arc while Barton canned 35% for a twenty-one point advantage from deep.
Butler's four straight built their lone lead at 6-4 in the opening four minutes before the game took a turn. Rattling off the next ten points in two minutes, Barton held their newfound eight point advantage for the ensuing four minutes until four straight by the Grizzlies sliced the deficit to four.
Buckets by Saar and Downing-Rivers pushed it back to eight but seven straight Butler points closed to within one. Downing answered the call with five straight including a triple, then following a pair of Butler free throws, the big man trio of Rutayisire, Malith, and Joseph Locandro produced the half's final seven points for a 35-24 Barton lead.
After Butler produced the first point on the board of second half action, Saar got hot in scoring seven points within the Cougars' 11-0 run putting the Grizzlies in a twenty-one point hole just five minutes out of the locker room.
The Grizzlies sliced six off the deficit but Malith and Downing's personal 5-0 runs each led to a 12-1 stretch and a twenty-four point gap by the midpoint.
Amir Ndayisaba's triple and Howard Johnson's 5-0 run including a three-pointer continued to build a late lead with Christian Bowen-Webb's trey in front of a raucous pink-clad student section stretching the gap to its largest of thirty-one points with 1:07 remaining.
Game Note:
At halftime of the men's game, Barton Athletics presented a check of $2750 to Camp Hope, traditional summer camp experience for ages 4-17 that have, or have had cancer. In a an effort to raise funds for the youth camp held annually at the College's Camp Aldrich facility, the Athletic Department continued its commitment to the cause by selling commemorative pink t-shirts with all proceeds going directly to the Camp Hope initiative.