JBU shoots down Royals

n The Golden Eagles improved to 10-0 for first time in program history.

Photo courtesy of JBU Sports Information John Brown freshman James Beckom goes in for a dunk Tuesday in the Golden Eagles' 100-58 victory over Ecclesia at Bill George Arena.
Photo courtesy of JBU Sports Information John Brown freshman James Beckom goes in for a dunk Tuesday in the Golden Eagles' 100-58 victory over Ecclesia at Bill George Arena.

The John Brown men's basketball team enjoyed a big night from behind the 3-point line Tuesday to run past Ecclesia and remain unbeaten.

The Golden Eagles tied a 17-year-old program record by hitting 21 of 40 from behind the arc in a 100-58 victory inside Bill George Arena.

"I didn't even realize we hit that many until I saw the final stats," said JBU head coach Jason Beschta. "I mean I noticed we hit some threes, but I didn't think we were anywhere near that mark. And this coming from a team that -- honestly I told some people prior to the season -- might be the worst three-point shooting team that I've had since I've been here. And yet we've just had guys stepping up and hitting shots."

With the win JBU improved to 10-0 on the season -- the first time the men's program has ever won its first 10 games, according to JBU Sports Information.

The Golden Eagles used a torrid stretch in the first half to put the game out of reach.

JBU missed its first three 3-point attempts and then hit eight of its next 11 to pull ahead 36-10 midway through the first half.

Rokas Grabliauskas got the 3-point party started with a trey from the top of the key. Kiree Hutchings and Brayden Bayless each hit a pair of treys and Nemanja Obradovic hit one as JBU led 30-10.

Densier Carnes splashed back-to-back triples as the Golden Eagles extended their lead to 26 points.

JBU led 53-26 at halftime. The Golden Eagles hit 10 of 18 from long range in the first half and 11 of 22 in the second half.

JBU would lead by as many as 30 in the first half and 42 in the second half.

Beschta said the Golden Eagles made it a point to use the game to get better, rather than just see how many points they could score.

"I think what you can't do is you can't play as if we're going to try to continue to outscore them, see how many points we can get," he said. "You can't be passive. You've got to be who you are and say we're just going to try and be perfect at what we do. We talked at halftime, we gave up five offensive rebounds in the first half. We didn't box out, but we said that has to change. We have to use this as an opportunity to get better. In the second half we didn't give up any offensive rebounds.

"We've got to value the ball better. In the second half we only had four turnovers as opposed to six (in the first half). I like seeing some of those things."

Obradovic was one of nine JBU players that hit a 3-pointer and led the Golden Eagles with 16 points off the bench. Hutchings scored all 15 of his points off the bench on five 3-pointers, while Bayless hit three treys and scored 13 points off the bench as well. Carnes, a starter, added 12 and Adam Asgeirsson 11 for JBU, also off the bench. JBU's bench wound up producing 60 of the Golden Eagles' points.

"Tonight to see the guys, especially off the bench, getting that done too was good," Beschta said. "Four of our five double digit guys were on the bench, which was really exciting to see."

Deondre Phillips scored 20 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the Royals (1-11).

JBU returns to action this Tuesday at home against Philander Smith, coached by former University of Arkansas All-American and NBA standout Todd Day. The Golden Eagles defeated the Panthers 71-52 in Little Rock on Nov. 11.

"They're going to play hard," Beschta said. "They're going to get out and pressure us probably. Last time a lot of press, especially second half, led to some turnovers once we had that lead. They threw a lot of zone at us. Wouldn't be surprised if they did some more of that as well. It's going to be a good test for us to see are we growing in our ability to handle pressure with the press."

John Brown 100, Ecclesia 58

Ecclesia^26^32^--^58

John Brown^53^47^--^100

Ecclesia (1-11): Phillips 28, Cone 12, McGee 8, Chira 4, Gobert 2, Lynch 2, Hamer 2.

John Brown (10-0): Obradovic 16, Hutchings 15, Bayless 13, Carnes 12, Asgeirsson 11, Grabliauskas 9, Harper 8, Bailey 6, Perrier 5, Stolz 3, Beckom 2.

Sports on 12/08/2019