The John Brown University men's basketball team pulled away from Ozark Christian (Mo.) in the first half on its way to an 88-68 win over the Ambassadors on Friday night inside Bill George Arena on day one of the JBU Classic.
Junior Rokas Grabliauskas hit 7 of 12 from the field, including four triples to pour in a game-high 20 points. Junior Densier Carnes hit three treys on his own to contribute 17 points and six rebounds, while freshman Nemanja Obradovic came off the bench to provide 11 points, a career high, on 5 of 8 shooting from the field.
Senior Quintin Bailey flirted with his first double-double of the season, securing nine rebounds to accompany eight points.
The Golden Eagles (5-0) started slow, and faced a one-possession hole a few minutes into the contest until the offense started to find its groove. The defense stepped up in the meantime, as John Brown turned a narrow 10-7 lead into a 44-14 boat race with a 34-7 run through the middle of the first half. At the 11:02 mark, John Brown allowed the Ambassadors to score just four points over a 9:54 span that ballooned the JBU lead to a 28-point halftime lead.
Ozark Christian shot just 33.3 percent (8 of 24) in the first half and committed 15 turnovers. Carnes and sophomore Luke Harper each recorded three thefts in the opening stanza.
The momentum continued into the second half, where Grabliauskas continued his scoring streak by tallying up 10 after the bathroom break. The hosts' lead grew to a game-high 36 with 8:35 left to play after Grabliauskas connected on his fourth conversion from behind the arc.
Head coach Jason Beschta nearly emptied his bench as 12 Golden Eagles saw playing time down the stretch. OCC closed the gap through the final minutes with the John Brown reserves earning valuable minutes.
John Brown, behind Carnes, Bailey and Obradovic, dominated the paint, 54-26, and a monster 43-28 rebounding advantage allowed JBU to convert 14 offensive boards into 16 second-chance points. The Golden Eagles also took better care of the rock, turning the ball over just 10 times, compared to the Ambassador's 21 miscues.
Deion Clark scored eight of his team-high 15 points in the second half as Ozark Christian improved to 55.9 percent from the floor (19-of-34). He also posted a team-best five rebounds and four assists in the losing effort.
The Golden Eagles improved to 9-0 all-time versus Ozark Christian since 2011.
JBU returned to action on Saturday against College of the Ozarks. Results were not available at presstime.
Sports on 11/17/2019