The John Brown University men's basketball team held College of the Ozarks (Mo.) to just 27.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half and forced nine turnovers en route to a 71-59 upset of the Bobcats on Thursday evening inside Bill George Arena.
The defensive pressure in the second half allowed the Bobcats a mere 6 of 22 mark from the field over the final 20 minutes, while the Golden Eagles (5-2) earned their fourth-straight win by shooting 42.9 percent (12 of 28) in the final period, hitting 13 of 16 from the line to seal the victory.
Down by four at the half, 35-31, JBU stayed within three points through the first 2:35 of the stanza until sophomore Benjamin Smith drained a triple from the wing for three of his career-high 19 points, before hitting a second-straight trey to give the Golden Eagles their first lead of the contest.
Sophomore Josh Bowling hit a shot in the post at the 15:37 mark, extending the hosts' lead to five, 47-42, but the teams continued to battle through the stretch, never separated by more than four points. Just past the halfway point, the Bobcats' DeMon Hyler converted a pair at the line, forcing the game's fourth and final tie.
It wasn't until 5:39 remaining in the game did JBU break away. Bowling started the run with a pair at the line and the lead grew to seven, 62-55, when senior Ricky Roberts hit a layup in the post from sophomore Marquis Waller. The teams traded free throws throughout the final minutes, but a final Roberts fast-break layup from Bowling pushed the margin to double-digits, 69-59. Waller sealed the matchup with two free throws with 41 seconds remaining.
Over the final six minutes of regulation, Ozarks went 0 of 6 from the floor and committed a trio of turnovers, which marked the defensive turning point in the game. The Bobcats' Cameron Paschke, who poured in a game-high 22 points, scored only four over the final six minutes, all from the charity stripe.
"Our second-half defensive effort is what really stood out to me," said JBU head coach Jason Beschta. "They execute their offense really well. Our ability to find each other in the second half really helped. Ricky (Roberts) responded in the second half with four assists and no turnovers really helped set the tone.
"We had a lot of contributions tonight. Ben (Smith) hit a lot of big shots for us. We kept our turnovers down, and I think this was our best overall performance of the year so far. And to do it against a good team means a lot."
Smith finished the game 7 of 12 from the field and grabbed seven boards, while Roberts poured in 16 points on a 6 of 13 mark from the floor and dished out a game-best five assists.
Paschke's 22 points came on a 5-of-16 effort, but also included a 1-of-6 mark in the second half. Kiefer Starbird added 12 points on an efficient 6 of 9 mark from the floor, while grabbing a game-best eight rebounds, helping the Bobcats (5-3) to a slim 36-35 rebounding advantage.
The Golden Eagles returned to action on Saturday against Philander Smith in Little Rock. Results were not available at presstime.
John Brown 111, Ozark Christian 59
Shooting over 75 percent midway through the first half, the John Brown University men's basketball team poured in 60 first-half points and rode six double-digit scorers to an easy win over Ozark Christian (Mo.) on Tuesday inside Bill George Arena.
The Golden Eagles poured in 14 triples and shot 45.2 percent behind the arc in its nearly doubling-up the Ambassadors (0-1). Sophomore Jake Caudle and senior Matt Ledord each buried four treys and sophomore Brandon Joseph, who led John Brown with 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting, added three from downtown to finish with 15 points and five assists.
Caudle and Ledford contributed 12 and 14 points, respectively, while the Golden Eagles landed a big-time game from senior Miguel Martinez, who poured in a season-best 13 points and completed his first-career double-double by pulling down a game-high 13 boards in the win.
Sophomore Benjamin Smith and junior Sam Egedi provided the final two double-figure scoring efforts as Smith added 11 points and seven boards while Egedi posted 10 points and six rebounds, helping the hosts to a season-high 60-22 rebounding margin. JBU also secured a season-best 23 offensive boards and 29 second-chance points.
A trio of players dished out five assists in Joseph, Ledford and sophomore Marquis Waller, propelling the hosts to 25 assists on 45 field goals (.556 percent).
The Golden Eagles shot efficiently throughout the contest, and hit 45 of 86 (52.3 percent), fueled by 59 points, or nearly half of its output, coming from inside the paint.
Dawson Allmoslecher hit 9 of 17 from the field, including three triples, to lead the Ambassadors in scoring with 22 points. The Golden Eagles limited themselves to just 10 turnovers and held the visitors to a 36.3 percent shooting clip (24 of 66) in the lopsided affair.
Sports on 11/20/2016