WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Facing the most difficult task to date, the Golden Eagles (12-4, 2-4 SAC) committed 21 turnovers and shot just 35.6 percent from the field, allowing No. 2 Southwestern A.G. (Texas) to take a commanding second-half lead en route to a 63-52 victory tonight at the Sheaffer Center.
The loss is John Brown's fourth in five games this semester as JBU had to endure another game with a starter out due to injury as top-point producer Kofi Josephs was unable to play. Between the Golden Eagles' three guards, John Brown has five man-games lost already in five contests.
Quinton Smith equaled a career high with a team-leading 13 points, powered by a pair of triples and a 5-of-9 effort from the field. The only other Golden Eagle to score in double-digits was Max Hopfgartner, who used a 5-of-8 mark from the line to finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds, notching his second double-double of the season. JBU's second-leading scorer, Gilbert Gyamfi, was held to six points and seven rebounds, marking the first time he was held to single-digits in 12 games.
The Lions scored seven of the game's first 10 points, building a quick 7-3 lead. Another 7-1 SAGU run built a 14-4 advantage that hovered around 11 points for the majority of the half. Finally in the closing minutes of the first stanza, three-straight host triples ballooned the margin from 11 to 18. Kurtis Phillips knocked down a triple of his own in response with 15 second left, leaving JBU to face a 36-21 deficit in the second half.
A Gyamfi runner in the lane and a pair of Hopfgartner conversions at the line back to 11 and continued to even nine as the Golden Eagle fought its way under the basket, drawing continuous fouls on the Lions. Samson Olayemi split a pair at the line at the 13:58 mark, bringing the SAGU lead down to seven, 38-31. Southwestern A.G. returned to its fast-break defense and retaliated with a 10-0 run of its own over a 2:48 span, which was finally broke by a Gyamfi bucket in the paint. Down by its greatest margin, 17, JBU attempted another rally that was sparked by Phillips landing 2-of-3 from the charity stripe which was immediately followed by back-to-back treys from Smith and Hopfgartner, closing the gap back to nine, 50-41, with 7:30 left to play.
Again, SAGU had a response, this time in the form of an 13-2 run, which sent the Golden Eagle deficit to a game-high 20 points, 63-43. John Brown managed to score the match's final nine points, primarily against the Lion reserves, but a thunderous Smith jam with 24 seconds left highlighted the Golden Eagles' frustrations on offense as Arty Pavlov closed the scoring with seven ticks remaining on the clock.
JBU finished the contest just 16-of-45 from the floor (35.6 percent) and committed 21 turnovers in the loss. The hosts shot slightly better, 36.8 percent, but took 23 more shots than the Golden Eagles, knocking down 25-of-68 on the night. SAGU corralled 18 offensive rebounds on its way to a 47-35 rebounding advantage. John Brown earned a 15-of-29 night from the charity stripe while allowing the hosts just seven opportunities, which the Lions converted on four.
Southwestern A.G. (14-1, 7-0 SAC) was led by the reigning NAIA National Co-Player of the Year, Dominique Rambo, scored a game-high 26 points and recorded six steals in the winning effort. Daniel Mills came off the bench and contributed nine points while Emmanuel Adoyi pulled down 14 rebounds and posted seven points in the winning effort.
The Golden Eagles will look to regroup on Saturday (Jan. 18) when it takes on Northwood (Texas) in Cedar Hill, Texas, at 3:00 p.m.
