Barton women's basketball challenges No. 8 Odessa, Cougars fall 66-63 in season opener #GoBarton

The Barton Community College women's basketball team opened its season Friday evening in Hobbs, New Mexico, by challenging but falling short 66-63 of the upset over 8th ranked Odessa College.

The Cougars erased an eleven-point first frame deficit in leading by five at the break, eventually being tied with four minutes remaining but couldn't overcome 34 turnovers and 43% free throw shooting to spoil the upset.

With a quick turnaround, Barton gets another shot at a pre-season top ten team on Saturday in a 11:30 a.m. tip against the host and No. 7 ranked New Mexico Junior College.

A career high night from Macie Smith of 5-for-8 from behind the arc for 19 points led three Cougars in double figures. Alaina Eck dialed in 3-of-4 long distance for a collegiate debut 18 points with Vivian Onugha posting her 14th career double-double before fouling out with 1:17 remaining on 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Joining Smith in recording career highs, Brittany Simpson added 8 points in tying Eck for a team leading three assists.

Barton finished the game 47.8% from the field, 10-of-18 from beyond the arc, but were just 9-of-21 from the charity stripe.

Odessa shot 44.4%, connecting on their third of eleven attempts beyond the three-point line on a timely draining with 37 seconds left to all but seal the contest. From the free throw line, the Wranglers held a six-point edge by sinking 15-of-28 from the stripe with another ten point edge coming from points off turnovers.

Eberechukwu Egbirika led all players with 26 points and 5 steals with 3 assists, Jaedyn Cook added 10 points, and Arminda Joaquim contributed 9 points.

Barton settled in from its round first quarter to outscore the Wranglers 18-4 in the second frame to lead by five at the break, increasing it out to eight points early in the third quarter.

Odessa flipped the script after facing their biggest deficit to regain the lead by the end of the quarter, increasing the margin out to eight within three minutes of the fourth.

The Cougars battled back sparked by Eck's consecutive triples and Simpson's pair of free throws drawing Barton to within 53-52 with 4:27 left.

Following a Wrangler bucket, Simpson canned a top of the key trey tying it up for the 6th time coming at 4:08 left on the clock.

Odessa answered with four straight before Eck's pair of charity tosses with 2:02 left cut the deficit in half with Onugha's 1-of-2 trip to the line twenty seconds later slimming it down to 59-58.

Onugha would foul out on the Wranglers' next possession as the made bucket on the play with Barton's 34th turnover on the ensuing possession plus Esomchukwu's timely baseline triple doubling up the margin out to six.

Smith's fifth long range made shot sliced it to four with ten ticks on the clock but the Wranglers tacked on a 1-of-2 trip to the line for good measure as Keyona Hall's inside bucket in the waning seconds being too late for any further hope.