SILOAM SPRINGS -- The John Brown University men's basketball saw its three-game winning streak at Bill George Arena snapped in a 71-65 setback to the University of Science & Arts (Okla.) as the first round of league play came to a close on Jan. 20.
Down by eight at the intermission, the Golden Eagles (10-6, 8-3 Sooner Athletic) used three pointers from seniors Noah Taylor, Tyren Collins and junior Drew Miller to piece together a 15-7 run to knot the contest at 39 with just under 15 minutes left to play.
The Drovers (13-4, 8-3) then responded with a 10-2 rally of its own, scoring on three straight possessions to rebuild its 8-point lead that wouldn't be relinquished down the stretch. A pair of Collins free throws would bring the deficit to 52-50, but another USAO run over the next 90 seconds saw the 8-point difference reemerge.
The visitors held onto their lead by finishing 13 of 14 at the free throw line and outrebounding John Brown 49-31.
Coming off the bench, USAO used a pair of performances from reserves that paid dividends -- including a game-high 18 points from Reggie Quezada and another 15 from Anthony Ray. Both players pulled down seven boards.
Collins produced another monster game, scoring 18 and grabbing 12 rebounds to complete a second consecutive double-double. Sophomore Malachi Reeves added 17 points and five assists, while Miller contributed 13 points and four rebounds.
With the Drovers' win and John Brown's loss, a four-way tie for second place in the Sooner Athletic standings now emerges, including JBU, USAO, Mid-America Christian (Okla.) and Southwestern A.G. (Texas). Wayland Baptist (Texas) is just one-half game behind the quartet of squads. Langston (Okla.) and its 17-0 record (11-0 SAC) continues to pace the pack.
The Golden Eagles played at at Oklahoma City on Tuesday night. JBU then returns home for a Thursday night battle with Central Christian (Kan.) before ending the seven-day stretch at league-leading Langston on Saturday afternoon.
JBU 72, Texas Wesleyan 69 (OT)
FT. WORTH, Texas -- The John Brown University men's basketball team avoided consecutive losses by outscoring Texas Wesleyan 7-4 in overtime to claim a 72-69 win Jan. 18 at Sid Richardson Center, ending a four-game losing skid in Fort Worth in the process.
The Golden Eagles, despite allowing a regulation-ending 9-2 run to send the game to overtime, held Texas Wesleyan to just 1 of 6 from the floor in the extra session while leaning on buckets from senior Tyren Collins and sophomore Lukas Gabani. Junior Drew Miller and sophomore Malachi Reeves combined to convert 3 of 6 from the stripe down the stretch to ice the contest that featured nine lead changes and seven ties.
John Brown improved to 3-0 in overtime contests this season, all on the road.
"Tonight is a big win against a good team," coach Jason Beschta said."Whether we win or lose games, our guys just keep fighting and believing together. It has been fun to see different guys step up for our team on different nights.
"We've been able to watch multiple guys continue to develop and get better and make big plays. That's something that makes this team special is their commitment to the process of getting better every day. Every win in this league is a big deal so we will continue to celebrate each one that we're able to get and continue pushing to get better for the next one."
Miller recorded his second 20-point outing of the season by hitting 7 of 14 from the field, including three three pointers and a 3 of 6 mark from the charity stripe. Collins continued his second-semester scoring tear by adding 19 points, 10 rebounds and four three pointers. Gabani finished with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds that helped JBU to a 41-25 rebounding advantage.
Both JBU big men contributed double-doubles -- both securing their second such performances, respectively.
Despite the lack of ball control -- the teams combined for 37 turnovers -- John Brown shot well, converting at a 45% clip (26 of 58), but could have avoided overtime by a more efficient performance at the line (12 of 21). Regardless, JBU improved to 4-1 on the year when committing at least 15 turnovers, but also bettered its mark to 8-1 when shooting at least 40%.
Adetokunbo Bakare accounted for nearly 40% of the Texas Wesleyan offensive output, scoring a game-best 27 points on a 10-of-10 effort at the free-throw line. Isaiah Marin (13) and Kristian Lafayette (10) each finished in double-figure scoring for the Rams.