The Barton Community College women’s basketball team rode a historic afternoon from Regina Donanu, outlasting Cloud County Community College 86–80 Saturday in Concordia to claim its first Jayhawk Conference victory of the season.
Now 1–1 in league play and 3–5 overall, the Cougars used a 28-point first quarter and a 20-point second-half cushion to keep the T-Birds (0–2, 4–3) at arm’s length.
The Cougars return home Tuesday for a 5:30 p.m. conference matchup against Colby Community College at Fleske Fieldhouse.
Donanu delivered a new program single-game scoring record with 43 points, breaking Wendy Okeson’s 42-point mark set on February 26, 2000, coincidentally also coming against Cloud County. The sophomore guard connected on an efficient 13-of-21 from the field, a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and a near-flawless 14-of-16 at the free throw line, tying for the fourth most free throws made in school history.
Supporting the effort, Alaina Eck finished with 13 points and three assists, Kodi Greer also posted a career-high 12 points for the second consecutive outing on 3-of-7 shooting from deep, while Eva Clements chipped in seven points and three rebounds off the bench.
Christal Long led all players with five steals, helping Barton overcome a 14-rebound disadvantage by forcing 15 Cloud turnovers and turning them into timely transition chances.
The T-Birds placed five in double figures, led by Shea Wurtz’s 18 points and eight rebounds, with Leila Washington also grabbing eight boards to go along with 16 points. Amanda Makela added 12 points, Camiah Muldrow finished with 11, and off the bench Jelena Jankovic contributed 10 points. Sofija Todorovic just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
Barton and Cloud traded punches early, with the T-Birds briefly going in front 10–7 before the Cougars’ offense found its rhythm. Donanu’s scoring from all areas of the floor, paired with an Eck trey and bench finishes from Clements and Fortunate Emechete, fueled a 21–11 surge to close the first period and stake Barton to a 28–23 lead after 10 minutes.
The Cougars seized control in the second quarter to add 10 to their advantage. The big breakaway came mid-frame on a 9–0 run, five coming from Donanu toward her 28-point first-half explosion to open a 13-point margin across three minutes. Long’s steals keyed several scoring chances, leading the Cougars’ defensive effort and transition game, pushing the gap to 17 before a Cloud County bucket at the horn trimmed it to 50–35.
Barton pushed the game toward blowout territory midway through the third. Donanu’s and-one layup, followed by a trio of triples — two from Greer and one from Eck — stretched the margin to its largest at 65–45 with 5:45 remaining. From there, Cloud County owned the remainder of the quarter, closing on a 13–3 stretch to slice the deficit to 68–58 and set up a tense final 10 minutes.
The T-Birds continued to chip away in the fourth behind Washington’s perimeter shooting and downhill drives from Muldrow, closing to 77–71 and later 83–78 inside the final minute. Each time a one-possession game threatened, Barton had an answer, with Donanu scoring three buckets in the quarter and calmly knocking down six free throws in the final 2:12, while Greer added a late foul shot to help the Cougars close it out and preserve both the win and the record-setting performance.
