SHAWNEE, Okla. -- For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the John Brown men's basketball team has suffered a five-game losing skid as the Golden Eagles suffered a 90-74 setback Saturday to St. Gregory's (Okla.) inside the W.P. Wood Field House.
Max Hopfgartner earned his fifth double-double of the season, but SGU's Marty Wilkerson netted a game-high 28 points, including 19 in the first half, as the Cavaliers used a 15-2 run to break a 26-26 tie.
Sooner Athletic Conference Basketball Standings
MEN CONFERENCE OVERALL
W-L W-L
Wayland Baptist 3-1 14-1
Oklahoma Baptist 3-1 14-2
Mid-America Christian 3-1 10-6
St. Gregory’s 3-1 7-5
Texas Wesleyan 2-2 12-2
John Brown 2-2 10-6
Oklahoma City 2-2 6-4
Southwestern Assemblies of God 1-3 10-5
Science and Arts of Oklahoma 1-3 2-9
Southwestern Christian 0-4 4-8
Last week
Thursday’s results
Mid-America Christian 74, John Brown 67
Oklahoma City 78, Science and Arts of Oklahoma 76
Wayland Baptist 105, Texas Wesleyan 68
Oklahoma Baptist 75, Southwestern Christian 64
St. Gregory’s 67, Southwestern Assemblies of God 64
Saturday’s results
St. Gregory’s 90, John Brown 74
Wayland Baptist 95, Southwestern Assemblies of God 72
Mid-America Christian 81, Oklahoma City 78
Science and Arts of Oklahoma 69, Southwestern Christian 64
Oklahoma Baptist 101, Texas Wesleyan 90
This week
Thursday’s games
John Brown at Texas Wesleyan
Oklahoma City at Southwestern Christian
St. Gregory’s at Science and Arts of Oklahoma
Wayland Baptist at Mid-America Christian
Southwestern Assemblies of God at Oklahoma Baptist
Saturday’s games
John Brown at Southwestern Assemblies of God
Science and Arts of Oklahoma at Wayland Baptist
Oklahoma Baptist at Oklahoma City
Mid-America Christian at Southwestern Christian
Texas Wesleyan at St. Gregory’s
Three ties dominated the early goings of the first half until Hopfgartner's first triple of the contest netted the score for a fourth time, 15-15. Having led for just 13 seconds, the Golden Eagles received key back-to-back triples from freshmen Matthew Ledford and Julian Erickson to take a slight 24-22 advantage with just 6:56 remaining in the first stanza.
St. Gregory's (7-5, 3-1 SAC) netted a quick four points, but junior DJ Feitl scored two of his team-leading 20 to tie the score at 26 apiece. However, the Golden Eagles would hit an offensive rut.
Six turnovers in the next seven possessions allowed the Cavs to rally on a 15-2 run, including a personal 8-0 run for Wilkerson, the conference's leading scorer. Fortunately for JBU, Ledford and junior Griffin Brady each hit 3-pointers before the break, closing the gap to nine, 43-34, at the half.
The Golden Eagles (10-6, 2-2 SAC) came out firing in the second half and hit three consecutive shots from long range. A pair of triples from Feitl and another from Hopfgartner stunned the Cavaliers as John Brown closed a nine-point gap in 1:29 to open the final 20 minutes.
The next few minutes weren't as kind to the visitors when St. Gregory's responded with an 8-0 run that was fueled by an 0-of-3 shooting streak from JBU. Hopfgartner finished a jump shot with 16:49 remaining in the second half to pull the visitors within six, 51-45, but the margin would never be fewer for the remainder of the contest. SGU built a 10-point advantage, 57-47, then ballooned into a 21-point lead with just under three minutes left to play.
Feitl eclipsed 20 points for the eighth time this season and for the second-straight game. He managed to convert five triples on a 6-of-14 shooting effort before fouling out of the contest. Hopfgartner's 20 points came from a 7-of-17 mark from the floor as Brady also landed in double figures with 10. Hopfgartner pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to complete the double-double, sending JBU to a 38-24 advantage on the glass.
Both teams shot well, but the Cavaliers managed to shoot over 50 percent in each half, finishing the contest at 52.5 percent (32-of-61) while John Brown shot at a 46.4 percent (26-of-56) clip. Both teams attempted 29 triples, but JBU sunk one more than the hosts (13-12).
It was turnovers, however, that ultimately provided the Cavs the separation it needed to escape the Golden Eagles. JBU turned the ball over 20 times, for a second-consecutive game, and SGU converted the miscues into 33 points. Conversely, the hosts gave away the rock just six times, leading to a mere two points off turnovers for John Brown.
JBU will return to the court on Thursday when it travels to Ft. Worth, Texas, to face Texas Wesleyan in the first game of a two-game Texas road trip. Tip-off with the No. 12 Rams is set for 8 p.m.
Sports on 01/14/2015