Barton's Khari Faison enjoys homecoming

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on February 5, 2015 1:49 PM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- The start was better than he imagined.

The first time he touched the ball, Khari Faison jumped from underneath one side of the basket to the other to tip slam home a missed shot by a Barton College teammate Wednesday evening.

The rim-rattler took the wind out of Kornegay Arena for a few minutes, before University of Mount Olive eventually defeated the Bulldogs, 89-73, in Conference Carolinas play.

"Honestly, that's not what I was expecting to start the game, but I know it got us energized. It was really cool. It's too bad we weren't able to come out on top," Faison said.

Faison, a Southern Wayne alum who wound up at BC via the junior college route, returned to his hometown for the final time Tuesday. For one of the few times this year, Faison got to play in front of his girlfriend -- a cheerleader for UMO.

"It's not that weird. I'm really glad she's cheering again," Faison said.

Faison finished the game with eight points, but none more impressive than his tip slam. Even his girlfriend was impressed.

"I think she was probably cheering for me inside a little bit after I did that," said Faison, who also grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes of play.