LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Junior Max Hopfgartner collected a career-high 32 points and senior Gilbert Gyamfi converted the front end of a double-bonus opportunity with 29 seconds left in the game to lead No. 14 John Brown (5-0) to a thrilling 90-89 victory over Philander Smith (Ark.) tonight at the Crawford Mims Gymnasium in Little Rock.
In the first meeting between the two programs ever, Hopfgartner finished 13-of-17 from the field, pouring in 32 points and chipped in a team-high eight rebounds and an assist in the key non-conference victory. Gyamfi posted a season-best 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the line to accompany three rebounds and a helper. Sophomore Kofi Josephs continued his scoring tear, putting up 17 points and six rebounds while senior Kurtis Phillips was the fourth Golden Eagle in double figures as he knocked down 12 points, including a pair of timely triples.
For the first time this season, John Brown was out-rebounded as Hopfgartner's eight boards led the JBU starters which finished with 24 total. The Panthers (2-1) out-borded the Golden Eagles, 35-30, including a 12-10 advantage on the teams' respective offensive glass.
Josephs' bucket at the 18:38 marked tied the game early at two apiece, but Philander Smith embarked on a 16-3 run over 3:08 that placed John Brown in a difficult 18-5 hole. A Hopfgartner basket finally broke the streak and was followed up by a pair of Phillips conversions at the free throw line. JBU continued its struggles from the field, despite a Josephs triple at 11:38 that lasted 3:03, a span that featured six JBU free throw makes, until Josephs buried his third field goal to pull the Golden Eagles to within 26-22. Freshman Quinton Smith's basket with 5:55 remaining forced a 30-29 score before five straight points from Hopfgartner handed John Brown its first lead at 34-30.
Six successful Panther free throws down the stretch, in addition to a lone field goal, allowed PSC to regain possession of the lead, 38-36, at the half. The Golden Eagles shot fairly well from the field at a 40.7 percent clip (11-of-27), but its 2-of-10 effort from long range kept the Panthers in contention. The hosts didn't shoot any better, landing a 31.4 percent half (11-of-35), but converted 14-of-16 from the charity stripe.
Nine Gyamfi points over the first 4:44 vaulted John Brown back into a narrow lead, 51-49, and two consecutive possessions that ended with a bucket from Hopfgartner helped grow the lead to four, 55-51, at the 14:00 mark. The score remained close when Gyamfi's triple was followed up by a Josephs bucket each tied the score. Over the next 3:13, both teams would trade points as neither squad was able to boast more than a two-point lead. The turning point in the game came at the 6:27 mark when Phillips drained back-to-back three-pointers to return the lead back to JBU, 75-72. The Panthers would never hold the lead again for the remainder of the game.
Knotted at 81 apiece, Josephs converted his final field goal before Phillips forced a Philander Smith turnover on the defensive half of the court. Although Gyamfi missed the ensuing shot, Phillips was there to clean up the rebound and stuck a put-back for an 85-81 JBU lead. Gyamfi landed 3-of-4 charity stripe attempts over the final 1:09 and Hopfgartner scored a bucket with 40 seconds left to cement the victory, 90-89. Despite PSC knocking down a triple with one second left, the Panthers weren't able to secure the comeback win.
Neither team secured more than a five-point lead in the second stanza as the Golden Eagles shot 22-of-33 in the final 20 minutes (66.7 percent) while the Panthers notched a 61.8 percent (21-of-34) clip in the half.
The hosts owned an edge in points off turnovers, 22-14, which was largely due to 17 John Brown turnovers, nine of which were unforced.
Jermaine Hollimon paced the Panther offense off the bench with 21 points and six rebounds, accounting for half of the PSC points off the bench (42), compared to JBU's six from its reserves.
The Golden Eagles will return home for a Thursday (Nov. 14) showdown with Southwestern Adventist (Texas) at 7:00 p.m. inside Bill George Arena. It is also the first matchup in the two programs' history.
