Putting its first 3-game winning streak of the season together was not going to be an easy task for the Barton women’s basketball team.
Standing in the way of the Cougars was the 20th ranked team in the nation in Butler. It was an obstacle that proved a little too much to overcome.
Barton battled the nationally ranked Grizzlies but came up short in the final game before the Christmas break. Butler won the Jayhawk Conference contest, 67-53.
“We don’t have the margin for error,” Coach Alan Clark said. “We have to make shots and we have to be able to guard people. If we make a mistake here or there it’s tough for us.”
Barton slips to 3-5 in the Jayhawk and 6-8 overall. Butler is second in the standings at 7-2 and are 12-2 overall.
The Cougars hung around for quite a while but were not able to make the plays in the fourth quarter when they needed it.
Barton trailed 51-49 with just more than eight minutes to play in the game. Morgan Meyers had a 3-pointer to put the Cougars up but it bounded off. The next series Meyers had a jumper to tie the game but it, too, failed to find the net.
That would be the final time the Cougars had that opportunity.
Butler responded with a 7-0 run over the next five minutes to take a 58-59 lead with 3:49 to play.
It hit double figures, 61-51, with 3:05 left. It would not get back into single digits the rest of the way.
Barton’s biggest downfall was its inability to make shots from the perimeter.
The Cougars hit just 5-of-34 3-pointers.
“We call it overhelp,” Coach Clark said of the Grizzly defense. “You pack in the lane and force people to shoot from the outside. We had lots of open 3s, we just couldn’t make enough of them.”
One player who continues to produce for the Cougars is 6-1 freshman Jenny Nkem Womsi. The Cameroon product put up double-double numbers for the fourth straight game as she went for 15 points and 13 rebounds.
“She has gotten so much better,” Coach Clark said. “Much more under control. She is a beast on the boards. We have to get her some more help on the inside.”
Brennan Kirchhoff also found double figures in scoring with 14 points but hit just 1-of-9 3-pointers in the contest.
The Cougars will be back in action when Seward visits the Barton Gym January 5 as Jayhawk play cranks back up. The Saints are currently tied for third in the conference with a 6-3 mark. Seward is 8-5 overall.
Tip is set for 5:30 pm.
20 Butler 67, Barton 53
Butler 17 12 19 19 - 67
Barton 13 14 19 7 - 53
Butler 12-2, 7-2 (67)
Williams 3-5 0-0 6, Harding 4-9 2-2 11, Downs 0-3 0-0 0, Furman 6-13 3-4 16, Nero 1-8 0-0 2, Carter 2-4 0-0 6, Cowman 1-3 0-1 0, Mandamin 2-7 0-0 5, Lyons 1-5 0-0 2, Harrod 4-7 8-11 17. Totals - 24-64 13-18 67.
Barton 6-8, 3-5 (53)
Shubert 1-6 0-0 3, Lard 2-11 0-0 4, Kirchhoff 5-16 3-3 14, Meyers 3-11 0-0 8, Nkem Womsi 3-4 9-11 15, Heskamp 1-8 1-2 4, Hall 2-6 0-0 4, Foxhall 0-0 0-0 0, Rumford 0-1 0-0 0, Schroer 0-0 0-0 0, Anderson 0-0 1-2 1. Totals - 17-63 14-18 53.
3-pointers -- Butler 6-18 (Carter 2-3, Harrod 1-1, Harding 1-3, Furman 1-4, Mandamin 1-5, Downs 0-1, Lyons 0-1), Barton 5-34 (Meyers 2-8, Shubert 1-6, Heskamp 1-6, Kirchhoff 1-9, Lard 0-5).
Rebounds - Butler 45 (Furman 8), Barton 45 (Nkem Womsi 13). Assists - Butler 16 (Lyons 5), Barton 10 (Lard 3). Steals - Butler 9 (Lyons 3), Barton 5 (Lard 2). Blocks - Butler 2 (Mandamin, Lyons), Barton 4 (Shubert 2).
