Belmont Abbey senior guard Tyshawn Good led all players with 39 points, one shy of his career-high, but the 19th-ranked Barton Bulldogs took the lead for good with 4:08 to play after tying the game for the ninth time to earn a 100-96 win this evening at the Wheeler Center. Barton moves to 11-2 overall and 6-1 in Conference Carolinas, while the Abbey falls to 10-5 overall and 3-4 in league play.

The contest featured nine ties and 11 lead changes as the Bulldogs led by as many as 12 points in the first half. After a Gerald Boston layup moved the Bulldogs lead to 41-31 with 3:36 to go, the Abbey countered with an 11-5 run over the final three minutes to cut the Barton lead to four, 46-42, at the half.

Belmont Abbey scored the first five points of the half on a layup from Terrone Sheffey and a three-pointer from Good to put the Crusaders ahead for the first time since the 17:52 mark of the first half. The lead would eventually grow to as high as six after a Barton free throw chopped it down to one. A three-pointer from Sheffey and a layup from Justin Kuhlman moved the lead to six, and Barton would close to as few as two as the Crusaders held its lead for the next three minutes.

After Barton moved out to a 73-70 lead, two layups from Darryl Durham, part of his 20 points for the night, put the Crusaders back ahead briefly.

The two teams traded baskets for the next several minutes before an Abbey surge put it ahead to break an 80-80 stalemate. Two free throws from Good, who finished 13-13 at the line, tied the game at 80. Barton's next offensive possession came up empty, and a layup from Durham moved the lead to two. Boston missed on a three-pointer on Barton's next trip, but Good connected on a three on the ensuing Crusader possession to move the lead to five, but Barton mustered a last charge to take the lead for good.

Boston swished a three-pointer to close the deficit to a pair, and after an Abbey turnover and foul, Boston tied the game for the ninth and final time with a free throw, and his second free throw, coming with 3:48 to go, put the Bulldogs ahead to stay.

Barton's lead never rose any higher than four points, on a Jon Hart layup with 55 seconds left, and the Abbey cut the lead down to one with 26 ticks left on two Sheffey free throws.

Barton had an answer, as the Bulldogs connected on seven of eight free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win.

Good netted 39 points on 11-17 shooting, including four of six from beyond the arc, and sank all 13 of his free throw attempts. Durham posted a double double with 20 points and 16 rebounds, while Sheffey and Chris Davis netted 15 and 11 points, respectively. Nine of Davis's points came from the free throw line. Belmont Abbey shot 50 percent (30-60) from the field and won the rebounding battle by a 36-28 count.

Barton shot 55 percent (33-60) as Boston led the way with 25 points. Brian McNair and Tristan Thomas both added 13, while Hart netted 11 and Chris Flemmings chipped in with ten.