A two-game road stretch on the schedule dealt the Cougars their second straight loss as the 25th ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team fell 68-57 Wednesday night at Cloud County Community College.
Barton slides to 3-3 in conference and 8-4 overall while Cloud County, receiving votes in the latest NJCAA poll, keeps pace of the early conference race at 5-1 and 9-3 on the season.
The Cougars have two games remaining on the fall portion of the schedule beginning with a Saturday 4:00 p.m. tip hosting Pratt Community College before winding up the slate on Monday in a 7:30 p.m. tip at 24th ranked Butler Community College.
Turnovers and fouls plagued the Cougars for the second straight contest, coupled with its consecutive road game of sub-par shooting. Barton connected on just 32.7% of its shots at the Arley Bryant Gymnasium for its second worst shooting of the year in making just 18-of-55 including just 6-of-28 (21.4%) from beyond the arc. to match its low of shots made producing a season low scoring output.
On the flip side Cloud County was 47.9% from the field and an efficient 7-of-15 from long distance for 46.7%. The T-Birds were led by Cheikh Sow's career high night, coming into the contest only making four three-pointers but draining a perfect 5-of-5 from long distance and 6-of-10 overall for 22 points and coming with seven steals.
The T-Birds began the contest red hot, draining its first trey just twelve seconds after tip-off, in jumping out to a 15-6 lead after the opening five minutes. The Cougars held the margin until after the midpoint until unleashing a 12-0 run and holding Cloud County scoreless through six minutes to tie the game at 29.
Cloud County took the next five points then following Cougar Downing's consecutive buckets, closed the final sixty seconds with another five point spurt capped by Sow's fourth trey of the half to lead 39-33 at the break.
Joseph Locandro opened the second half scoring converting an old fashioned three point play, adding another bucket later in drawing Barton to within one as just 1:37 ticked off the clock.
It would be as close as the Cougars would come the rest of the way as Barton went silent for the next five minutes with seven turnovers while Cloud County busted up the game on a 13-0 run for a 52-38 lead with 12:55 to play.
Committing 15 of its 24 total turnovers in the second half, Barton was never able to mount a run in having its 5-game win streak at Cloud County coming to an end.
Downing led Barton with 14 points, exiting the contest with 4:16 left due to fouls as the Cougars committed 25 total fouls for its second consecutive game of 25 or more fouls.
Locandro helped the Cougars to a plus-7 edge on the boards in posting his 8th double-double of the year by grabbing 10 boards, to go along, with 13 points. Howard Johnson, who canned his third trey of the night to close out Barton's scoring on the night, finished with 11 points to round out the Cougars' double-digit scoring.
Cooper Jackson led Barton's thefts on the night with a career high six steals for the fourth straight game of three more steals in raising his team leading average to 3.0 in ranking second most in Region VI thus far.
In addition to Sow's game leading total, Justin Graham added 17 points for the T-Birds' lone players reaching double-figures.