A momentum-shifting third quarter proved decisive as the Barton Community College women’s basketball team fell 64-56 at Seward County Community College on Saturday afternoon inside the Greenhouse.
The loss drops the Cougars to 4-7 in conference play and 6-11 overall, while the Saints improve to 7-3 in league action and 12-4 on the season. With a bye week ahead, Barton will return to action Saturday, hosting Cowley College for Hall of Fame night at 5:30 p.m. inside Fleske Fieldhouse, closing the first pass through the rugged Jayhawk Conference slate.
Closing the opening quarter on a 4-0 run to hold a 13-11 lead, Barton extended the surge to an 18-5 stretch spanning nearly 10 minutes to build its largest lead of the half at 27-16 with 2:24 remaining in the second quarter, fueled by Regina Donanu‘s 15 first-half points off the bench. The Cougars were held scoreless the rest of the half, allowing Seward County to close on a 4-0 run and cut the deficit back to single digits at 27-20 heading into the break.
The tide swung coming out of the locker room as the Saints’ defensive pressure began to take its toll, forcing 11 of Barton’s 15 second-half turnovers in the quarter. The Cougars’ lead disappeared following the 4:50 media timeout but was briefly regained twice, the last coming at 44-43 on a Christal Long bucket with 1:48 remaining. Converting at the free throw line by going 10-for-10 in the quarter, Seward County closed the period on a decisive 7-0 run to take a 50-44 advantage into the final stanza.
Seward County maintained control in the fourth quarter, pushing the margin to as many as 10 just under the four-minute mark. Barton’s lone multi-basket stretch of the stanza came on a brief 4-0 run near the 3:30 mark, sparked by baskets from Keyona Hall and Mersadie Spray to pull within six. The Cougars again closed within six in the final minute, but the Saints answered at the free-throw line to prevent any possible comeback.
For the game, Barton finished with a season-high 28 turnovers while also matching a season-high mark with 11 missed free throws, going 17-for-28 (60.7%) at the line. Seward County capitalized on the extra possessions, particularly during its third-quarter surge, finishing with a plus-3 edge in points off turnovers while converting 25-of-27 (92.6%) at the charity stripe.
Dananu led a pair of Cougars in double-figures, pouring in a game-high 27 points off the bench to anchor Barton’s 36-7 advantage in bench production while adding five rebounds.
Mary Akinde followed with her second straight and fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and a career and game-high 18 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass, while also recording five steals.
Seward County was paced by Avery Marchino’s 24-point outing, highlighted by a perfect 16-for-16 performance at the free-throw line, while Destiny Alexander flirted with a double-double by contributing 10 points and seven rebounds.
