Central, SC - The Southern Wesleyan University Warriors were victorious over the Barton College Bulldogs on Saturday, topping them 102-98. 

The Warriors were led in scoring by RJ Bell with 21, Reco Hallmon with 20, Christopher Osobaye with 17, and Eric Hackett with 16. Hallmon had a team-high 7 rebounds and Bell had a team-high 5 assists, while Osobaye came up with 2 key blocks to help preserve the lead. As a team, SWU shot 37-68 (54.4%) from the field, 11-21 (52.4%) from three, and 17-22 (77.3%) from the free-throw line. 


Game Vitals:

Final: Southern Wesleyan University 102, Barton College 98

Records: Southern Wesleyan University (6-12, 4-8), Barton College (10-9, 6-5)


How It Happened: 

Che Smith, RJ Bell, Bobby Taylor, Reco Hallmon, and Aaron Tims were the first five on the floor for SWU against the Bulldogs. Tims opened the scoring for the Warriors with a pair of free throws, but he quickly picked up two personal fouls and would have to sit the rest of the half. Barton responded with a 10-2 run to establish early control of the game after they got back-to-back threes from Jett Fortuny and Jaylen Faber. Hallmon was assisted by Taylor on the first of his three-made threes of the game just over halfway through the half to cut the lead down to four. But, then the Warriors would really gain momentum after Jamarras McCray finished one of the most spectacular dunks of the season at the 6:01 mark. Southern Wesleyan would eventually get the lead down to one due to a pair of free throws from Hallmon followed by Bell's late answer to a bucket from Shawn Nelson. 

SWU took their first lead of the game shortly into the second half thanks to a made three from Bell. Tims converted after Marko Krtinic scored for the Bulldogs to retake a one-point lead, but Barton responded on an 8-1 run that was ended by a Marcus Long three. After not scoring in the first half, Christopher Osobaye found the bottom of the net for the first time at the 15:13 mark after a strong offensive rebound and finish. Hallmon continued to find his range early in the period including another made three at the 14:32 mark. After hanging close with more key scoring from Hallmon, Bell, and Eric Hackett, the Warriors tied the game with 7:29 to go thanks to a driving layup from Osobaye, who also scored on the next possession to give his team a lead. The biggest bucket of the game came from SWU's leading scorer, Hackett, who followed up his own miss with a putback at the 1:23 mark. Bell scored on the next possession to give the Warriors a few more points for cushion. Nelson came down and hit a pair of free throws for the Bulldogs and Hackett went 1-2 from the line on the following Southern Wesleyan possession, but Osobaye saved the day by blocking Nelson's shot at the rim with eight seconds to play. Hackett made good the next time around, hitting both of his free-throw line shots to ice the 102-98 win. 


What's Next: 

The Warriors travel to Franklin Springs, Georgia for a matchup with Emmanuel on Tuesday, January 28th, followed by two home, non-conference contests with Clinton College and Carolina Christian.