SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The No. 14 Golden Eagles (9-0) received 28 points from junior Max Hopfgartner and used 27 fast break points to complete its perfect non-conference campaign, defeating Dallas Christian (Texas), 81-68, this afternoon at Bill George Arena.
For just the second time in program history, John Brown has started the season with nine victories. The 2010-11 season saw JBU begin 9-0 until it fell at home to Oklahoma Christian, 81-79, ending the nine-game run.
John Brown finished with three players scoring in double figures, led by Hopfgartner's 28 points. He finished 11-of-15 from the field and shot a perfect 3-of-3 from long range. Senior Gilbert Gyamfi finished the evening with 12 points, notching a 5-of-7 afternoon from the field while junior Samson Olayemi chipped in with 11 points on a perfect day shooting from the field (5-of-5) which included a triple.
The Crusaders (1-7) jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead, but back-to-back buckets from Gyamfi and Olayemi returned the lead to JBU, 6-5, eliminating DCC's only advantage of the afternoon. At the 12:01 mark, Hopfgartner stole the ball and took it the length of the floor to score down low, handing John Brown a 16-11 advantage as the Golden Eagles scored nine of the next 16 points over a 3:08 span. Phillips ended the run with a triple from the right arc at the 8:53 mark for a five-point home lead, 23-18. Dallas Christian pulled within two after a triple, but JBU used two Olayemi field goals in the final 70 seconds, both off DCC miscues, to close the half on a 15-10 run.
The Golden Eagles converted its last four field goal attempts of the first half and started the second half in similar fashion. JBU knocked down eight of its first ten shots in the second half, taking a commanding 54-38 lead. Over the 4:30 run, John Brown out-scored Dallas Christian 16-7 as Hopfgartner tallied eight points and Gyfami landed another four points over the stretch. With 3:39 remaining in the game Hopfgartner poured in his third trey of the afternoon and sophomore Kofi Josephs stuck one of three free throw opportunities after a DCC technical foul, pushing the Golden Eagle lead to 21, 81-60, its highest of the game. John Brown missed its final three shots from the field while the Crusaders ended the game on a small 8-0 run, returning the score back to a respectable 13-point deficit.
For the seventh time in nine games, the Golden Eagles held the advantage on the boards, this time by a margin of 15, 45-30. Gyamfi pulled down a game-high nine caroms while senior Kurtis Phillips and sophomore Jared Johnson each retrieved seven as Johnson recorded four on the offensive glass. John Brown threw around 20 assists on 31 field goals as Olayemi dished out a game-high six assists while Phillips delivered five of his own.
Although it sported a two-man bench, DCC's reserves out-scored John Brown's, 23-22, but the Golden Eagles ran with the ball at will, earning 27 fast break points. Nine Crusader turnovers led to 14 JBU points, but Dallas Christian responded with 19 points as a result of 18 Golden Eagle errors.
The John Brown big men controlled the paint, 35-17, and the Golden Eagles converted 12 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
The visitors ended the game shooting at a 34.4 percent clip (21-of-61) and went 7-of-24 from behind the arc. The Golden Eagles shot much better from the field at 56.4 percent (31-of-55) but struggled at the charity stripe, notching a mere 44.0 percent (11-of-25).
Miles Burnside led the Crusaders with 19 points, scoring 15 from behind the arc (5-of-9) to compliment a 4-of-4 effort from the line. Trent Dawson (14) and Aaron Espinosa (13) each finished in double-figures while Michael Haynes recorded a team-high five rebounds in the losing effort.
The Golden Eagles will now rest until Tuesday (Dec. 3) when it opens Sooner Athletic Conference play against undefeated St. Gregory's (Okla.). The Cavaliers (8-0) have knocked off four top-25 teams this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. at Bill George Arena.
