Vikings Drop Season Opener to Barton in Overtime 83-82

April Emory
November 15, 2006

WILSON, NC- Sophomore forward Anthony Hilliard led all scorers with a career high 23 points in an 83-82 overtime loss to the #8 ranked Barton College Bulldogs Wednesday night at Wilson Gymnasium. The Vikings (0-1) fought back from eight points down early in the second half to tie the game 66-66 on a lay-up by Shakiem Mitchell with 6:13 remaining. ECSU held a 72-68 advantage after two free throws by Brian West with 2:06 left in regulation before Barton’s Anthony Atkinson made back-to-back lay-ups for the 9th tie of the game. The game was sent to overtime knotted at 73 apiece after respective free throw trips by Alejo Barovero and Anthony Hilliard added one point to their teams’ scores. In the extra session the Bulldogs went 6-8 from the free throw line and added a miraculous jumper by Anthony Atkinson as the shot clock ran out to give Barton a 83-79 lead with 6 seconds remaining. Mike Land added a three-pointer as time expired for the final score. CJ Pigford and Devin Mooring contributed 18 and 14 points respectively to round out the double figure scorers for the Vikings. Bobby Buffaloe paced Barton with a team high 20 points. The Vikings will return to action November 24-25 in Elizabeth City, NC as they host the RL Vaughan Classic. On November 24th Holy Family will face Claflin University at 6:00pm followed by Kentucky State and ECSU at 8:00pm. For more information on ECSU Athletics, visit www.ecsuvikings.com