WILSON, N.C. - Shaw University couldn't overcome early turnovers and a large deficit and fell to Barton 77-67 in their season opener played Saturday night at Wilson Gymnasium.

Karron Johnson powered the Bears, scoring 26 points - including a 12 for 14 performance from the free throw line - and hauling in ten rebounds, but it wasn't enough to overcome the early troubles.

Shaw was plagued by turnovers from the start - amassing 12 turnovers in the first half alone. 

Trailing 2-1, Barton reeled off 15 straight points, building a 16-2 advantage before Latrail McCoy hit a three for Shaw to stop the Bulldog scoring run and trim the advantage to 16-5.  A pair of Johnson free throws and a Mohammed Abdur-Rahim layup trimmed the Barton lead to only seven.

Barton answered with four straight points, and didn't let Shaw get within ten after that point in the first half.  With the help of Shaw turnovers and poor shooting (35% in the first half) the Bulldogs built a 47-25 lead by the half.

Johnson lit up the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the second half as he scored seven straight points and combined with Hunter to trim the Barton lead to 13.

Then the turnovers started again.  After a Barton bucket, Shaw turned the ball over on two straight possessions, leading to four Bulldog points and a 55-39 deficit.

With 10:05 left in the game, a Gerald Boston hit a jumper to give Barton a 61-46 lead.  Two and a half minutes later, Karron Johnson threw down a dunk that both rocked the rim and cut the lead to 61-54.

Zach Faircloth hit a jumper on the wing with 5:43 left - the first field goal for Barton since Boston's jumper four and a half minutes earlier - to give the Bulldogs a 69-58 lead. 

Hunter hit a layup off a pass from McCoy with 4:35 left, and ten seconds later was fouled and made both shots to cut the Barton lead to only seven, 69-62.  Boston again hit a critical bucket to stop the Shaw momentum, hitting a layup and then sinking a free throw shot for a three-point play and a 72-62 Barton lead.

The teams would exchange points from that point forward, with the Bulldogs holding on for the 77-67 win.

Hunter finished the game with 15 points, while McCoy had 14 points and led both teams with eight assists.

Boston scored 24 points for the Bulldogs, while Brian McNair added another 14.  Jon Hart led Barton with seven rebounds and Boston paced the squad with four assists.

The Bears now take a break until Sunday, November 18 when they travel to West Chester for a 7:30 p.m. tip.