The Barton Community College women's basketball team closed out the regular season Wednesday night on the road, falling 75-59 at Cowley College inside the William S. Scott Auditorium.
Trailing 34-29 at halftime, Barton remained within reach into the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to four midway through the final frame before a decisive 16-4 Cowley run over the final six minutes proved to be the difference.
The results conclude the Cougars regular season tied for sixth in the Jayhawk standings at 12-12 and 14-16 overall, while the Tigers finish tied for eighth in league play at 11-13 and 15-15 on the season. Due to tiebreaking scenarios, Barton will enter as the seventh seed in the Region 6 Basketball Tournament set to begin Saturday with the Cougars hosting 10th seeded Cloud County Community College in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals Tuesday, March 10 at second-seed No. 9 Dodge City Community College.
Barton held its only leads of the nigh early at 2-0 and 5-4 behind Mary Akinde's opening basket and one of Regina Donanu's season-high four three-pointers before Cowley gradually built a 20-18 edge by the end of the first quarter.
Staying within two possessions over the opening five-minutes, a personal 4-0 run by Akinde pulled the Cougars even for the second and final time of the night at 27-27 before the Tigers closed the half on a 7-2 stretch to take a 34-29 halftime lead.
Cowley pushed the margin to double figures midway through the third quarter before Barton responded with a 9-2 run highlighted by three-pointers from Donanu and Kodi Greer along with a Keyona Hall three-point play, trimming the deficit to 45-41 with 3:21 remaining. The Tigers answered late in the period to stretch the margin back to 53-46, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Cougars trimmed the deficit to four midway through the fourth quarter behind Akinde's inside bucket and later Mersadie Spray's pair at the free-throw line to make it 59-55 with 4:57 to play, but Cowley pulled away down the stretch closing the contest on a 16-4 run to complete the season sweep.
Barton shot 32.3% from the field (20-of-62) and 8-of-23 from beyond the arc while converting 11-of-19 at the free throw line. The Cougars held a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points behind 16 offensive rebounds but were hurt by 18 Cowley points off turnovers. The Tigers shot 43.1% overall and used a 28-4 edge in points in the paint.
Akinde led two Cougars in double figures, recording her 13th double-double of the season with 18 points and 19 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass, helping Barton to a slim edge on the boards. Donanu added 17 points behind a 4-of-6 performance from beyond the arc while also grabbing four rebounds.
Cowley placed four starters in double figures led by Aniyah Burney's 22 points and 12 rebounds. Mallory Jackson added 20 points and six rebounds, while Saliyah Henderson-Johnson and Yatzel Renteria chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively.