WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- In a wire-to-wire win, the John Brown University men's basketball team posted its first ranked win of the season, handing previous unbeaten No. 18 Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) a 93-78 setback Thursday night inside the Sheaffer Center.
Junior Brenton Toussaint was unstoppable, literally, as he shot 10 of 10 from the field to net a career-high 23 points. The entire Golden Eagles (6-2, 2-0 Sooner Athletic) squad combined to shoot 30 of 55 (55 percent) from the field and hit 12 of 24 from behind the arc.
Despite committing 21 turnovers, JBU also forced the Lions into 16 turnovers of their own.
The loss for SAGU is its most lopsided defeat at the Sheaffer Center since Dec. 13, 2012, a 92-64 loss to LSU-Shreveport.
"I'm really proud of our effort tonight, for sustaining it for a full 40 minutes," head coach Jason Beschta said. "That's a strong SAGU team, but after a rough showing on Monday (versus College of the Ozarks) I think it helped by refocusing us on some areas we needed to take a little bit more ownership of. The guys came in with incredible focus and the right mentality.
"Brenton had a huge night, and he set the tone early. Desmond made some really big shots for us as well. But more importantly, we took a lot of charges and it showed our commitment to playing defense, and that's what we want to be known for. This certainly gives us a lot of confidence moving forward."
Sophomore Rokas Grabliauskas chipped in with 15 points and six boards while senior Jake Caudle scored 14 points but hit all eight attempts at the charity stripe and added a team-high seven rebounds.
Kennedy came off the bench to provide 22 minutes and hit 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line, finishing with 14 points.
The Lions, meanwhile, shot 42 percent (28 of 66) from the floor, but could only convert 5 of 21 from behind the arc (24 percent). JBU also narrowly won the rebounding battle, 36-33.
The Golden Eagles, who led for the entire contest, outscored the hosts 28-24 in the paint and scored seven more points off five fewer Lion turnovers.
Cameron Hill boasted 21 points and five rebounds for SAGU, while Joshua Kashila added 14 points. Nykolas Mason and Darian Davis each notched 13 points apiece in the loss.
JBU continued its Texas road trip in Forth Worth on Saturday against No. 11 Texas Wesleyan. Results were not available at presstime.
The Golden Eagles return home at 8 p.m. on Thursday against No. 5 Oklahoma City in JBU's final home game of the 2018 calendar year.
Sports on 12/02/2018