John Brown used a big first-half run to fuel its second win of the season.
The Golden Eagles outscored Barclay (Kan.) 21-0 for a stretch of 7 minutes, 49 seconds in the first half and cruised to a 100-54 victory in men's college basketball action Thursday at Bill George Arena.
JBU (2-2) got outhustled for some loose balls early in the contest, forcing coach Jason Beschta to call an early timeout.
"I think that happens sometimes when you play a team you know you should beat," Beschta said. "It can be easy for guys to forget what it takes to win."
The Golden Eagles trailed 13-10 with 15:50 left in the first half after a basket in transition from Barclay's Jay Bradley.
But that was all the points the Bears (1-4) would get for a while.
Zach English responded with a driving basket to make it 13-12, and English then tied the game on JBU's next possession with a free throw.
Two free throws from Miguel Martinez gave JBU the lead for good with 12:29 left, and by the time the 21-0 run was finished the Golden Eagles led 31-13.
JBU got it done from the free-throw line in that run, hitting 9 of 10 foul shots. Matt Ledford had a steal and passed ahead to Marquis Waller for an easy layup along with hitting a 3-pointer. Jake Caudle also hit a trey, and Benjamin Smith scored inside.
Beschta was also proud of the Golden Eagles' defensive effort in that stretch.
I think Griffin (Brady) told me we had 14 straight stops on defense in that run," Beschta said. "We really defended well."
JBU led 51-27 at halftime and outscored the Bears 49-27 in the second half.
Ledford came off the bench to lead JBU with 16 points, while Waller, Ricky Roberts and Zach English each had 13. Caudle chipped in 11 points for the Golden Eagles, while Benjamin Smith had 10.
Quinton Walker led Barclay with 13 points, while Jay Milton had 12 and Bradley 10.
JBU returns to the court at 5 p.m. on Saturday when they host Lyon College. Lyon defeated the Golden Eagles 70-65 in Batesville on Nov. 3.
Benedictine 71, JBU 49
Benedictine outscored John Brown 42-21 in the second half and the Ravens pulled away for a 71-49 victory over the Golden Eagles in a nonconference game at Bill George Arena in Siloam Springs.
The Ravens (2-0) led JBU (1-2) 29-28 at halftime.
Andre Yates led Benedictine with 24 points off the bench, while Connor Fleming scored 14.
Ricky Roberts led John Brown with 16 points.
The Ravens forced 17 JBU turnovers, while only having 12 of their own.
Sports on 11/13/2016