The No. 17 Barton men's basketball team continued its late-season surge Wednesday night inside Fleske Fieldhouse, defeating Seward County 96-80 for its ninth straight victory in its regular season home finale.
Coupled with Butler's loss at Dodge City, the win moves the Cougars into sole possession of a half-game lead atop the Jayhawk Conference standings with one regular-season game remaining.
Barton improves to 21-8 overall and 16-7 in conference play, using a dominant first half at the free throw line and timely second-half surges to keep the Saints at arm's length. Seward County drops to 17-11 overall and 12-10 in conference play.
After enjoying a bye this Saturday, the Cougars will close out the regular season next Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. road contest at Cowley College.
After Seward grabbed its final lead at 13-12 with 11:48 remaining in the opening half, Barton answered immediately and never trailed again. A 6-0 response flipped control, sparked by defensive stops and aggressive drives to the rim.
Pavel Ivanov delivered the first perimeter strike, knocking down a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 run. Following a pair of Seward free throws, Ivanov struck again from deep — this time igniting a decisive 9-0 surge that sent the Cougars into the locker room with a commanding 38-20 halftime advantage.
The tone was established at the stripe. Barton relentlessly attacked the paint and converted 23-of-25 free throws in the opening half alone, building separation even while shooting just 23.1 percent from the field.
Seward showed early resolve after the break, trimming into the margin before Barton gradually rebuilt its cushion. The Cougars did not extend the lead to 21 until midway through the second half, where defensive rebounds and composed possessions steadied the pace.
Brian Sullivan Jr. provided a critical spark during that stretch, turning steals into transition finishes while supplying energy on both ends of the floor.
The final exclamation came with 4:49 remaining when Mikey Williams buried a three-pointer to stretch the margin to 22 — Barton's largest lead of the night. Moments later, Sullivan's steal and assist set up an Aris Rodriguez dunk, and the Cougars' continued free throw efficiency sealed the victory.
Barton finished 51-of-57 at the stripe, setting a new program record for free throws made and surpassing the previous mark of 50 set earlier this season against Butler. The Cougars also turned Seward's 17 turnovers into 20 points while receiving 42 bench points in a balanced effort.
Noah Williams recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds, converting 12-of-12 at the line. Sebastian Muchitsch added 19 points, going a perfect 10-of-10 from the stripe, while Jayden Ramirez scored 15 and Rodriguez contributed 14. Sullivan chipped in 13 points, three assists, and five steals, while Jon Byrd's four assists led Barton's 13 total.
Four Saints reached double figures led by the bench production from Korbin Dowdell's 14 and Lyna Brooks, Jr.'s 12. RJ McKinnie added 11 points while JJ Chapman added 10 points.