Carnes leads JBU to victory at SCU

BETHANY, Okla. -- Junior Densier Carnes handed in a career night and the Golden Eagles survived a pesky squad by putting up a 16-9 advantage in the fourth period as the No. 10 John Brown University men's basketball team finished off a 98-91 win over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Thursday evening inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.

The rollercoaster contest featured 22 ties and 12 lead changes as the Golden Eagles (15-2, 6-1 Sooner Athletic) received 23 points and 18 rebounds from Carnes -- both career highs. The JBU leading rebounder was clutch from the free-throw line on a night where the visitors didn't shoot particularly well, converting 15 of 16 from the line, including 9 of 10 in the extra sessions.

The visitors finished 37 of 41 from the line, a mark tying the program's fifth-most free throws made in a single contest.

Besides hitting 11 of 13 at the line in the overtimes, JBU hit 6 of 12 from the floor in 10 minutes and held the upstart Eagles (9-6, 3-5) to just 4 of 14 as the benches began to play a larger role in the outcome. Six combined players fouled out of the contest, but it was the Golden Eagle defense that limited SCU without a field goal over the final 4:08 of the contest after a mid-range jumper from junior Kiree Hutchings fell and Carnes' split at the line broke the final tie, 87-87.

Holding on to a narrow two-point lead, freshman Nemanja Obradovic came off the bench to provide a clutch bucket with 70 seconds left as the big man spun and laid in his only basket of the contest to extend the visitors' lead to four. Carnes would hit four and freshman Adam Asgeirsson would hit a pair from the line down the stretch to seal John Brown's second-straight road victory during a pivotal three-game week.

"What an absolute battle tonight," head coach Jason Beschta said after his squad's first overtime contest of the season. "We didn't look our cleanest on some things at either end tonight, like executing, but when we can come out on top in key areas like turnovers, rebounding and free-throw shooting, it's going to put us in a great position to win games.

"Densier was an animal tonight. He took five charges, including a couple when he had four fouls, and attacking the basket all night. He drew fouls and cleaned up the glass for us. An incredible showing for him, but I'm proud of the way we fought through a lot of different situations tonight and it was enough to come out on top."

Junior Rokas Grabliauskas hit a pair of crucial triples in the overtime periods and sophomore Luke Harper added five points of his own in extra time to bolster the JBU offense.

The widest margin in the overtime periods was three points -- an 85-82 lead for Southwestern Christian -- until the Golden Eagles finished the contest on a 16-6 run, forcing the Eagles into eight empty possessions in the final five minutes of play.

Grabliauskas joined Carnes in double-digit scoring with an 11 of 13 night from the line to contribute 19 points, three assists and two steals. Harper persevered through an off night from the field, but still found a way to notch 18 points and five rebounds. Returning to the lineup, senior Quintin Bailey was a force inside in a mismatch -- hitting 6 of 8 from the field for 12 points. Hutchings came off the bench to 11 points and a team-best three assists on the night.

Darius Madkin led a quartet of Southwestern Christian players with 30 points, hitting 18 of 20 at the line, while Ron Washington and Derek Dantzler-Fulner each contributed 18 points. Charles Dickson hit three treys to finish with 14 points.

Carnes secured 18 of JBU's 40 total rebounds, nearly 50 percent, and helped the visitors to a narrow rebounding advantage. The Golden Eagles battled to a 38-26 advantage in points in the paint and rode Hutchings to a 17-9 difference in bench scoring.

JBU was scheduled to return to action Saturday at home against Oklahoma City. Results were not available at presstime.

The Golden Eagles hit the road this week, first to Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Thursday and then to Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday.

Sports on 01/19/2020