WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. -- Facing a six-point deficit, 80-74, No. 14 John Brown (7-0) out-scored host Williams Baptist (Ark.), 17-11, over the final 3:03 to force overtime, which it eventually won 102-99 at the Southerland-Mabee Center this afternoon.
Down by a single point with the last possession in regulation, freshman Austin Freet drew a foul at the buzzer and converted the back-end of a two-shot attempt to force overtime and save JBU's unbeaten season. Five of the Golden Eagles' 11 points in the extra session came at the free throw line while sophomore Kofi Josephs, freshman Zach English and senior Gilbert Gyamfi each contributed field goals in overtime. The John Brown defense held the hosts to 1-of-5 in the final five minutes of play.
Gyamfi scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, leading all Golden Eagle starters who each finished with double-digit nights. Junior Samson Olayemi had a season-best 19 points and went a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc while Josephs poured in 17 points and grabbed a team-high eight boards. Junior Max Hopfgartner chipped in with 11 points and a 5-of-6 night from the field as senior Kurtis Phillips finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and a team-high three assists.
Williams Baptist (3-2) started off the afternoon with a commanding 9-0 lead, but back-to-back Joseph triples launched a 10-1 JBU run that knotted the score at 10. WBU responded with a 15-5 run of its own that was finally stopped by a Jared Johnson bucket at the 9:05 mark of the first half. Hopfgartner's old-fashioned three-point play whittled the lead back to five, but a but an 8-0 retaliation by the Eagles forced a game-high 13-point lead for the hosts, 35-22. Five points from Olayemi down the stretch, coupled with a Gyamfi field goal with seven seconds left, kept the Bapist lead within reach at the half, 47-39.
Over the first 2:47, the Eagles maintained its lead, but Hopfgartner's four points set up freshman Quinton Smith's and-one attempt that failed to pull JBU within four, 52-48. A 7-3 Golden Eagle run, highlighted by one of Phillips' two triples on the day, pulled the visitors into the match's second tie, 55-55. At the 4:44 mark, WBU returned its lead to eight for the third time in under two minutes, forcing the Golden Eagles to pressure. Gyamfi came up big again, knocking down a field goal before a three-pointer to force a three-point deficit.
Down five with 61 seconds left, Johnson converted a pair of shots from the charity stripe and Gyamfi made his second-straight basket within 12 seconds. Down by one, 91-90, Baptist's Kevin Charles missed an opportunity that led to a defensive rebound by Freet. With eight seconds on the clock, JBU marched down the court and had an opportunity to win the game. Freet missed the potential game-winning bucket with moments left before his offensive rebound forced WBU to commit a foul with no time left on the clock. Despite all the pressure of missing the first shot, Freet buried the second attempt to force overtime.
The Eagles came out of the break and scored the first points. John Brown responded 18 seconds later as Josephs cleaned up a Gyamfi miss and stuck the put-back, forcing the game's fourth deadlock. Earning the plus-one chance, Josephs handed JBU its first lead of the game, 94-93, as the free throw fell. A small 6-3 run by Baptist placed JBU back on its heels again, only to find Gyamfi's bucket at the 1:02 mark forced a sixth and final tie. At the other end of the floor, JBU forced a turnover on an offensive foul call and Johnson earned two chances at the free throw line on the ensuing possession. Dropping one of two chances, the Golden Eagles clung to a 100-99 lead and forced its second-straight turnover on defense before English iced the game with a pair of shots from the charity stripe with 13 seconds left.
In a matchup that featured many chances around the basket, the Golden Eagles held a 46-38 advantage in points in the paint. Johnson's seven points off the bench paced the JBU reserves to an 18-12 margin over the Eagles. John Brown also edged the hosts on the glass, 46-45, and nabbed 18 offensive caroms in the win.
A 17-of-32 effort from the field in the second half and overtime (53.1 percent) allowed JBU to finish at a 45.2 percent clip (33-of-73). Baptist finished the game at 47.1 percent (33-of-70).
After the hard-fought win, John Brown will take six days rest before it hosts Philander Smith (Ark.) at Bill George Arena next Saturday (Nov. 23) in a rematch of last week's game that the Golden Ealges won, 90-89. The tilt is set for a 3:00 p.m. matinee start.
