November 5, 2009
HIGH POINT, NC — Barton College has been voted by Conference Carolinas head coaches as this year's preseason league favorite.
The Barton women have played in three of the last six NCAA D-II tournaments and would like nothing more than to be tipping off in the postseason come March of 2010. Head coach Wendee Saintsing, in her 21st season, returns three starters (Esty Flores, Jannetta Robinson and Jamila Johnson) and has a freshman class of nine, so developing team chemistry will have a lot to do with how successful the Lady Bulldogs will be this year. Three other players return from a 2008-09 squad that finished 22-6 overall and won the Conference Carolinas regular-season championship at 18-4. However, the Lady Bulldogs were left out of the NCAA Tournament, so they have a point to prove this season.
Flores, the 5-foot-3 point guard and reigning Conference Player of the Year, will again run the show for Barton. The All-Southeast Region first-team pick averaged 20.5 points and 5.1 assists last season. Senior 6-1 center Sharnita Alston, 5-8 junior Destiny Hamlin and 6-2 junior Kelsey Sill are experienced players as well.
"Nobody knows what you have," Saintsing said. "It (preseason poll) is really based on last year, so you can't put a lot of weight in preseason polls. We're young and talented, so I think that success will come when we are able to gel and get everybody thinking and doing the same thing. It's just a matter of how long that will take."
Mount Olive College places second in this year's preseason poll as they return three starters from last year's squad, which eclipsed the 20-win mark for the second straight year and made their second consecutive appearance in the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship game. The Trojans rode a school-record 14-game winning streak to a 23-7 mark and finished second in the conference standings with a 17-5 record. Senior forward Jasmine Whitby earned All-Southeast Region honors and was named to the All-Conference Carolinas first team. Whitby became the first player in Trojan basketball history - women or men - to record a "30-20″ game with 32 points and 20 rebounds against Erskine. She ranked seventh in the conference in scoring with a 15.8 average and also ranked in the top five in rebounds and steals.
Also returning is junior point guard Shequanta McGee and junior forward Brittany Miller. McGee ranked sixth in the conference in assists and hit a crucial three-pointer in the final minute of the Trojans' semifinal win over Belmont Abbey in last year's Conference Carolinas Tournament. Miller ranked sixth in the conference last year with a 53.7 percent field goal percentage and blocked a three-point attempt at the buzzer in a two-point win at Queens. After winning the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Regional semifinals in 2007-08, Mount Olive was conference tournament runner-up last year.
Anderson University comes in tied for the third-place spot in the preseason poll with Belmont Abbey. The Trojans are coming off their sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament following their fourth Conference Carolinas tournament championship. The Trojans return five players, including two starters, from last year's squad, which posted an 18-13 overall and 14-8 league record after winning nine of their last 11 games. The backcourt is anchored by guards Shanice Wilson and junior Alexa Neal. Wilson started all 31 games, while Neal started 28 contests. Neal earned All-Tournament accolades and Honorable Mention All-Conference honors after averaging 14.5 points and a team-high 4.4 assists (ranking fourth in the conference). The Trojans also welcome eight newcomers to the 2009-10 squad.
The Belmont Abbey College women's basketball team returns seven players, including its top three leading scorers, for Coach Susan Yow, who will be entering her third season after guiding the Lady Crusaders to back-to-back 19-10 records (16-6 league record). Forward Shayla Jackson returns as the Abbey's leading scorer at 13.4 points per game, while senior guards Courtney Naquin and Ashley Giddens averaged 12.9 and 9.76 per game, respectively. The returners will complement five recruits for the upcoming season - Kelsey Campbell, Alyx Ingram, Kiandria "Kiki" Allen, Dana Middleton and Autumn Smith-Faulkner.
Rounding out the women's poll at 5-12 are: Queens, Erskine, Coker, Limestone, Pfeiffer, Lees-McRae, Converse, and St. Andrews, respectively.
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October 29, 2009
Some of the best Barton College basketball players from the last two decades will be back on the court Saturday when the men's and women's basketball teams stage their alumni games in Wilson Gymnasium. Anywhere from 15 to 20 former players each from the men's and women's programs will be on hand to take on the 2009-10 Bulldog squads.
The women's game is set for a 1 p.m. tipoff, with the men to follow at 2:30. Admission is free.
The women's game will feature Barton Hall of Famers Karen Edmonds Watson ('91), Michelle McClure Pittman ('91), Teasha Murphy ('96) and Tanisha Adams Dixon ('98). Murphy was just inducted into the Barton Hall on Oct. 23. Point guard Vivian Blue ('96), the school's all-time assists leader, will also take the floor.
Former conference Players of the Year Shemkia Reid ('02) and Keauna Vinson ('07) will also be playing. Former all-conference players Shindy Chalmers Taylor ('00), Seneka Blackwell ('02), Kelly Lamotta ('05), Jo Denevan ('06), Anjessa Evans ('07) and Sara Fleming ('09) will be joined by Barton alums Latrice Evans ('00), Trisha Vann ('04), Kimi Stevenson ('04), Susan Doggett ('05), Janet Hurley Bradley ('06), Adrienne Walker ('07), Veronica Johnson ('08) and Kim Butts ('08) in completing the alumni team.
The Barton men and women are the preseason picks to win their respective Conference Carolinas crowns.
The men's game will feature Barton seniors Bobby Buffaloe and Errol Frails, who helped lead the Bulldogs to the 2007 NCAA D-II National Championship. Both young men have exhausted their eligibility and finishing their degree work.
Daniel Colvin ('92) will be the oldest player in uniform for the alumni group. He is still the all-time leading 3-point shooter in school history and is in his 7th year as an assistant coach for the Barton women's team.
John Green ('04), who was N.C. High School Athlete of the Year from Beddingfield High School in Wilson before starring on the hardwood for the Bulldogs, will be back in action alongside Casey Moore and Courtney Coffer, who helped the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in their senior season ('06).
Chris Allen ('00), Jakob Bron ('01), Marc Eugene (last year played was '01), will be joined by Melvin Baldwin, Derek Chavis and Adrian Stewart from the Class of '02. Big men George Turner and Jacoby Key and guard Steve Burroughs from the Class of '05 will complete the alumni group.
Barton men's coach Ron Lievense and women's coach Wendee Saintsing said a few others may also show up to showcase their skills, so it should be an entertaining afternoon of basketball in the "Dog House."
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April 9, 2009
SALISBURY, NC — Junior 5-foot-3 point guard Esty Flores and junior 6-3 forward L.J. Dunn, who directed the Barton women's and men's basketball teams to Conference Carolinas championships this season, have been honored as members of their respective North Carolinas Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) All-State College Basketball Teams.
Previously, Flores (Virginia Beach, VA), who was the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, was named to the Daktronics All-Southeast Region first team, while Dunn (Raleigh, NC) nabbed a spot on the NABC All-Southeast Region second team.
Flores, who was runner-up for Region Player of the Year, led the Lady Bulldogs to a 22-6 overall record and the conference regular-season title at 18-4. Barton did not get a bid to the NCAA Southeast Regional. Flores started in all 26 games she played, averaging 20.5 points, 5.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 steals. She shot 40 percent from the floor, 89 percent from the foul line and 37.4 from 3-point land.
She led Conference Carolinas players in scoring and steals and was second in free-throw percentage. Nationally, she ranked 13th in scoring, 14th in free-throw percentage, 14th in assist-turnover ratio (2.2/1) and 22nd in assists. She scored in double-figures in 20-of-26 games, including 20-plus 14 times. She was Barton's leading scorer in 17 of 26 games while averaging 32 minutes of court time. She had season-highs of 35 points, 11 assists, seven steals and six made 3-pointers. She swished 49 3-pointers for the season and was a three-time Conference Carolinas Player of the Week.
Dunn, a first-team all-conference pick and runner-up for league Player of the Year, was also a three-time Conference Carolinas Player of the Week. He started all 32 games as the Bulldogs shared the league regular-season crown and won the conference tournament. Barton exited in the Southeast Region semifinals with a 25-7 record and was 17-3 in league action.
Dunn, who never practiced because of knee problems, averaged 14.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 27 minutes per game and had 16 double-doubles (points-rebounds). Amazingly, he shot a torrid 61.7 percent from the floor. Dunn ranked 16th nationally in field-goal percentage and 26th in rebounding. He also hit 74 percent from the foul line. He notched season-highs of 24 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and five steals and made the All-Conference Carolinas Tournament team. He led the league in rebounding and shooting percentage.
Flores was joined on the NCCSIA All-State College Division First Team by Wingate's Anna Atkinson, Greensboro's Dione Eccles, Queens' Marissa Hudley, Johnson C. Smith's Wendy Stywalt and Mount Olive's Jasmine Whitby.
Dunn's company on the first team included Mount Olive's Kendrick Easley, Guilford's Clay Henson, Elizabeth City State's Anthony Hilliard and Guilford's Tyler Sanborn.
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March 31, 2009
The Barton College men's and women's basketball teams enjoyed another successful season under the direction of veteran head coaches Ron Lievense and Wendee Saintsing, respectively, and that was reflected in the final rankings of the most successful NCAA D-II basketball programs in 2008-09.
The Barton men went 25-7, shared the Conference Carolinas regular season title and won the conference tournament. The Bulldogs then won their first-round game of the NCAA Southeast Regional before exiting in the regional semifinals against host Augusta State. The Lady Bulldogs posted a 22-6 record en route to the Conference Carolinas regular-season championship, but were eliminated in the conference tournament and did not receive an NCAA bid.
The combined men's and women's record of 47-13, for a win percentage of .783, ranked the 2008-09 Barton basketball teams eighth best among nearly 300 schools that have both men's and women's programs. The best overall win percentage of .862 came from Gannon (PA), where the men went 30-4 and the women were 26-5.
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March 12, 2009
HIGH POINT, NC — Conference Carolinas is proud to recognize Kyle Bennett of Erskine College as the 2009 Murphy Osborne Award recipient. Kyle has been selected as Conference Carolinas most outstanding student-athlete from a field of eleven nominees representing twelve Conference Carolinas institutions.
Bennett, a senior from Lilburn, GA, excels in the classroom with a cumulative 3.8 grade point average majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry. He is the recipient of the Dr. Calvin Graham Reid Pre-Medical Scholarship in both 2007 and 2008 which is presented to the most promising pre-medical student in the biology department and the recipient of the Frank L. Austin Scholarship of Erskine College. Kyle has also been a member of the Erskine Dean’s List and Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll for each year of his four years.
Kyle succeeds on the field as he has been a member of the men’s varsity soccer team and four year starter at central defender for the Flying Fleet. While being a perennial All-Conference member (2005, 07, 08) he was recognized as an NCAA DII All-Region member this year making the NSCAA/Adidas All-Region Team. He has also been his teams most valuable player three different years (2005, 06, 08). The accomplishment that may speak the loudest though, is that Kyle was a four-year peer voted team captain since the beginning of his freshman year for the men’s soccer team. He is the first athlete in Erskine College’s athletic history to accomplish this feat.
“Kyle Bennett is simply everything that we could ask for in an Erskine student-athlete,” said Erskine Director of Athletics Mark Peeler. “He has been a tremendous soccer player, a superb student, and wonderful ambassador for Erskine College. Our only regret is that we can’t clone Kyle Bennett! It will be a sad day next fall when the Erskine soccer team takes the field without Kyle Bennett. For so many of us, he is Erskine soccer and we are grateful for everything he’s done over the past four years at Erskine.
Bennett is also a leader on campus and in the community. On campus Kyle is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership organization, American Chemistry Society, National Scholars Honors Society, Tri-Beta (biology organization), Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Erskine College Biological Outreach Program.
Kyle’s benevolence is immeasurable as he volunteers his time as a lovaas therapist where he mentors a 14 year old boy. He also spends time shadowing local doctors, psychiatrists, and medical professionals to gain various medical hands-on experiences. Kyle also served as a medical missionary pharmaceutical scribe observing medical treatment of patients at outdoor clinics with limited technology in a third world country (Bireuen, Indonesia).
The eleven finalists for the highest academic award presented by the conference were: Lahnden Onger of Anderson University, Sarah Fleming of Barton College, William McKenzie of Belmont Abbey College, Shelly Catlett of Coker College, Kyle Bennett of Erskine College, Bryan Thompson of Lees-McRae College, Christina Woolgar of Limestone College, Katherine Cahoon of Mount Olive College, Suzie Hinman of Pfeiffer University, Mary-Ashley Davino of Queens University of Charlotte, and Alyson Trovato of St. Andrews Presbyterian College.
Fleming was the second-leading scorer on a Barton basketball team that won the Conference Carolinas regular-season title at 18-4, but was upset in the conference tournament, then left out of the NCAA Championships, despite posting a 22-5 overall record.
To be eligible for the award, a student must be a senior student-athlete with a minimum grade point average of 3.25. The student must be a full-time student at the time of nomination, must have been a full-time student for at least two years at the member school, and must be a starter or important substitute in a conference sport. The recipient is selected by the Faculty Athletics Representatives of Conference Carolinas institutions.
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March 12, 2009
The Barton College men's basketball team, a winner of six straight games, as well as regular-season and Conference Carolinas Tournament champs, has been seeded fifth in the NCAA D-II Southeast Regional, which will be played at Augusta State University in Augusta, GA.
The Bulldogs (24-6), have the second-best record in the eight-team event behind host and top seed Augusta State (25-4), who was the national runner-up last season.
The Barton women, despite winning the Conference Carolinas regular season title and posting an outstanding 22-6 record, did not receive an at-large bid, thus their season is over.
First-round men's games in the top half of the bracket have No. 1 Augusta State vs. No. 8 Tusculum (20-9) at 6 p.m. and No. 4 Georgia College & State University (21-6) vs. Barton at 8:30. The bottom half of the bracket features No. 3 seed Armstrong Atlantic State University (21-6) vs. No. 6 Catawba (19-8) in the regional opener at noon and No. 7 Lenoir-Rhyne (18-10) vs. No. 2 USC Aiken (22-6) at 2:30.
Augusta State is currently ranked 4th nationally in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll. Aiken is ranked 16th and Armstrong Atlantic was 25th in the most recent poll. Barton and Georgia College & State were just outside the top 25 at Nos. 26 and 27, respectively.
Barton, the 2007 National Champ, lost by five points to USC Aiken in the Pickle Classic at the start of the season. The regional semifinals are set for Sunday, March 15; and the Regional Championship will be on Tuesday, March 17.
All tickets for the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional are $10 and are available for purchase online at the official website of ASU Athletics — www.aug.edu/athletics — and will be available for purchase at the Christenberry Fieldhouse box office beginning at 11:00 a.m. Saturday.
Advance tickets will be available for purchase on Thursday and Friday, March 12-13 in the ASU Ticket Office from 3-5:00 p.m. Children ages two and under will be admitted free.
For more information on the 2009 NCAA Southeast Regional, call the ASU Athletics Office at 706-737-1626 or visit http://www.aug.edu/athletics/sports/mbasketball/09ncaa/
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March 6, 2009
WILSON, NC – Top-seeded Barton missed 22 of its first 24 shots Friday night in the Conference Carolinas semifinals and never found its range in dropping a 74-58 decision to 5th-seeded Anderson University.
The loss ended an eight-game win streak for Barton, now 22-6. The Lady Bulldogs, regular-season league champs, are ranked 7th in the Southeast Region and now await word as to whether they will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA D-II Regionals. Anderson, which had lost by 14 points twice to Barton during the regular season, rose to 17-12 and will play at #2 seed Mount Olive at 2 p.m. Sunday for the Conference Carolinas Championship.
Despite the horrendous start, the Lady Bulldogs still only trailed 17-6 with seven minutes left in the first half. Anderson was ahead 33-18 with a minute left in the half when junior point guard Esty Flores (Virginia Beach, VA) made two quick buckets, trimming the lead to 33-22 at intermission.
Barton shot a miserable 9-of-38 (23.7 percent) in the first half, compared to 12-of-29 (41.1) for the Trojans. Barton connected on just 1-of-8 long-range attempts in the first half and finished 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) for the night. Overall, Barton got 25 more shots than the visitors, but made a season-worst 26.7 percent (20-of-75). It was the fewest points Barton has scored this season.
Anderson was 21-of-52 (40.4 percent), ruled the backboards 54-43 and outscored the Lady Bulldogs 26-15 from the foul line.
Guards Keana Boyd and Alexa Neal proved too much to handle for a sluggish Barton defense. Boyd finished with a game-high 29 points, including 11-of-18 from the charity stripe, while Neal swished 21 points on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown. Kirsten Peterson, a 6-foot-5 center, scored seven points, yanked 15 rebounds and blocked three shots for the Trojans.
Anderson ran the lead up to 17 points at 48-31 with 13:53 to play, but Barton chipped away, getting as close as 55-48 with 6:38 left. However, Boyd took control from that point, blazing to the hoop for layups or getting fouled. She scored 14 of her points during the stretch run to seal the victory.
Flores finished with a team-high 23 points on just 7-of-28 shooting, dished off six assists and had four steals. Senior forward Sara Fleming (Stanley, NC), who sat for much of the first half with two fouls, finished with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting and pulled five rebounds.
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March 4, 2009
WILSON, NC - Junior point guard Esty Flores (Virginia Beach) and senior forward Sara Fleming (Stanley, NC) combined for 35 points Wednesday night as the Barton College women's basketball team beat visiting Pfeiffer University 79-68 in a Conference Carolinas Tournament quarterfinal.
The Lady Bulldogs, seeded first after winning the regular-season title, rose to 22-5 overall with their eighth straight victory. Pfeiffer finished its season at 9-20. Barton will entertain 5th-seeded Anderson at 7 p.m. Friday in one semifinal while #2 Mount Olive hosts #3 Belmont Abbey in the other semifinal. The championship is slated for a 2 p.m. start Sunday at the site of the highest remaining seed.
Barton, ranked 7th in the Southeast Region, trailed for much of the initial half. The Falcons were nursing a 30-25 lead with 6:31 left in the first half when Barton went on a 12-2 run. Senior guard Blair Burke (Raleigh, NC) started the spree with a 3-pointer, followed by baskets by Fleming and freshman Jannetta Robinson (Willard, NC). Flores finished off the run with a 3-pointer and two free throws.
The Lady Bulldogs were up 44-36 at intermission, thanks to 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting by Fleming.
The Falcons pulled within four points early in the second half, but Barton never trailed after the late first-half run and led by an average of seven points for the remainder of the game.
Flores finished with 18 points, eight assists and Fleming netted 17 points. Sophomore guard Jamila Johnson (Garner, NC) turned in a fine all-around performance for the Lady Bulldogs with 12 points, five assists and four steals. Robinson scored 12.
For the Falcons, Domonique China (Durham, NC) swished a team-high 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting and dished off eight assists. Allegra Shanee Purnell (Woodbridge, VA) canned 16 points and pulled 12 boards for a double-double. Devona Knight (Woodbridge, VA) also notched a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds for Pfeiffer, which had a 54-46 advantage in rebounding.
Barton outscored its foe 19-6 in points off turnovers and 13-6 from the foul line. Pfeiffer was 29-of-73 (39.7 percent) from the floor while Barton hit 30-of-79 shots for 38 percent.
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March 3, 2009
HIGH POINT, N.C.- Junior point guard Esty Flores of Barton (21-5 overall, 18-4 conf.) has been selected as the NCAA Division II Conference Carolinas women's basketball Player of the Week for week 14 of the 2008-2009 season.This is the third time this year Flores has received this honor.
Flores (Virginia Beach, VA) finished off the regular-season in style this past week, averaging 25 points and shooting 50 percent (5-of-10) from 3-point land as the Lady Bulldogs beat the league's other top teams, Belmont Abbey and Mount Olive, to clinch the regular-season Conference Carolinas title.
Flores, who was named league Player of the Year on Friday, drilled 26 points and hit 3-of-6 from downtown in a 77-72 win at Belmont Abbey on Tuesday night. In a showdown for first place in Wilson on Thursday night, she swished 24 points, had three assists and three steals as Barton rolled past archrival Mount Olive 79-45. She had 17 first-half points to power Barton to a 48-18 lead at intermission. For the game, she was 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 from the foul line.
Flores finished the regular season with averages of 20.5 points, 5 assists, 2.54 steals and 2.5 rebounds. She also has a 2-1 assist/turnover ratio, has swished 42 3-pointers, and shoots 41.4 percent from the floor and 88.7 percent from the foul line. She led Conference Carolinas in scoring, ranked second in assists and steals and was third in free-throw percentage.
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March 3, 2009
The Barton College men's and women's basketball teams accomplished their initial goals of the season, which was to finish atop the Conference Carolinas regular-season standings. The men shared the title with Mount Olive at 17-3 while the women won it outright at 18-4. It marked the first time in school history that both men's and women's teams have finished first in the same season.
The quest for attaining their second goals begins Tuesday night for the men (21-5), when 8th-seeded Limestone visits Wilson Gymnasium at 7 for a Conference Carolinas Tournament Quarterfinal. The women (21-6) are scheduled to debut in the event on Wednesday night at 7 in the "Dog House" against the winner of #8 Coker vs. #9 Pfeiffer. Both Barton teams need to win three games to accomplish their goals of winning Conference Carolinas Tournament titles. Three wins apiece and goal No. 2 will be in the books, which will lead to an automatic berth to the NCAA Southeast Regional next week (tournament champs get an automatic bid).
Eight teams each for men and women are invited to regional competition. The Barton men are currently ranked No. 5 in the Southeast, while the women are No. 8.
Conference Tournament action can be followed on Penn Atlantic (video for a small fee) and at the CyberSportsUSA links listed below:
Men…. http://www.cybersportsusa.com/tourney.asp?lev_id=3&assoc_id=71&tc_id=2127
Women… http://www.cybersportsusa.com/tourney.asp?lev_id=3&assoc_id=71&tc_id=2126
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