Led by the double-double performance of Lajae Jones and a stout Cougar defense, the 8th ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team picked up a big early road conference 65-53 victory Sunday at 24th ranked Cloud County Community College.

The Cougars trailed just once after five minutes of action at the Arley Bryant Gymnasium, taking the lead right back before later piecing a 12-4 surge for a nine point lead and an eventual 29-24 advantage to the halftime break.

Scoring sixteen points including four three-pointers in the first nine minutes of the final frame, Jones sparked a pair of 7-0 runs helping Barton to a seventeen point lead by the midpoint. Maintaining atleast a nine point advantage the remaining ten minutes, the Cougars held Cloud County to its lowest output in the last eleven series meetings.

Concluding its brief two-game road swing, Barton improves to 3-0 in league and 9-0 while snapping Cloud County's seven game win streak including a twenty point win at Coffeyville last time on the floor in dropping the Thunderbirds to 2-1 in conference and 7-1 on the season.

Barton's next game comes Wednesday in hosting Cowley College in a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.

Outshooting the Thunderbirds 41.8% to 30.8%, the Cougar defense held one of the best shooting offenses in the league to nearly 20% below their season average and forced 16 turnovers.

Offensively, Jones put up twenty of his game leading 25 points in second half action, going 4-of-4 from long distance on his 8-of-12 shooting, and adding a career high 15 rebounds to post the freshman's second collegiate double-double.

Seven other Cougars found the scoring column, Ring Malith adding 9 points as did Brent Moss in coming off the bench to also add 6 rebounds to his 9 points heling Barton to a plus-9 advantage on the boards.

Four Thunderbirds reached double-figures with Cheikh Sow leading the way with a 14 point, 10 rebound double-double effort. Ja'Ron Briggs, Jr. added 10 points with Emmanuel Manyuon and Isaiah Sy each contributing 10 points coming off the bench.

RECAP
Myles Thompson scored the first of his 8 points on the night erasing Cloud County's lone lead, later adding another bucket followed by Amir Ndayisaba's layup helping Barton to a three point lead with 7:37 left.

Two minutes later Ndayisaba connected on his lone triple of the game with Malith adding seven straight of Barton's points including his lone long ball splash to spark the Cougars' 12-4 stretch being capped by Jones' steal and one-hand flush growing the lead to nine.

Following a pair of Cloud County charity tosses, Thompson's inside jumper would conclude Barton's first half points with 1:47 remaining as the Thunderbirds made 4-of-4 free throws to slice the deficit to five at the break.

Jones came out on fire in second half action, scoring five of Barton's first seven points out of the locker room before draining a pair of triples in a seven point Cougar spurt for a then twelve point lead.

Following a Cloud County bucket, Jones scored Barton's next five including his 4th long distance shot and 16th point of the half with Moss' jumper capping the second 7-0 Cougar spurt for its largest lead of seventeen points with 10:06 left.

The Thunderbirds would close the gap on six straight, later closing to within nine with six minutes left.

Mozae Downing-Rivers jumper followed forty second later by Christian Bowen-Webb's triple pushed the lead back out as Barton would maintain a double digit advantage for the final five minutes.

SERIES NOTES
- Second straight double-digit win by Barton in the series
- Barton has won 6-of-the-last 7 in Concordia
- Barton leads the series 26-17 in Concordia
- Barton leads the overall series 67-23