SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- For the seventh time in nine games, John Brown's leading scorer Kofi Josephs poured in over 20 points, but John Brown (12-6, 2-6 SAC) was unable to hold an early first-half run as No. 22 Mid-America Christian (Okla.) shot 60.0 percent in the first half, handing the Golden Eagles an 87-74 defeat tonight at Bill George Arena.
With the loss, JBU has now suffered a pair of three-consecutive losses, stemmed only by a narrow victory over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Jan. 11, sending the Golden Eagles to a 1-6 record since Christmas.
In his first action after missing a pair of games, Josephs earned 10 of his team-leading 21 points at the charity stripe while sinking 3-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc. Gilbert Gyamfi fell one rebound shy of a double-double, but landed 14 points on a 6-of-12 shooting effort from the field and grabbed a game-high nine caroms, including three on the offensive glass. Kurtis Phillips also earned his second-straight double-digit performance, finishing with 12 points and three rebounds that accompanied his team-high three assists and three steals.
The Golden Eagles began the game well, jumping out to a quick 11-2 lead after Josephs knocked down a game-opening triple to start the run. Samson Olayemi chipped in with a pair of field goals, while Phillips punched in a bucket down low in addition to a pair of free throws, offering the hosts a nine-point advantage at the 16:42 mark. Up 13-4, MACU quickly recovered by piecing together a 13-2 run over a 3:54 span. Phillips continued his strong first half, knotting the score at 17 apiece before Gyamfi's and-one conversion returned the deadlock to 22-22.
JBU battled back to a trio of one-point margins later in the first half, including a 34-33 score, but the Evangels continued to fend off John Brown attempts at a comeback, this time running to a 6-0 spurt, extending MACU's lead to a half-best seven points. Before the half ended, Hopfgartner contributed consecutive buckets, setting up a pair of Josephs makes at the stripe, sending the teams to the break separated by just three points, 42-39.
Both teams followed halftime with hot three-point shooting. Mid-America Christian landed two early triples before Josephs responded with a pair of treys, keeping the Golden Eagles within a four-point striking distance, 51-47, at the 14:58 mark. Still down seven with 12:51 remaining, JBU made its final push when Gyamfi and Phillips teamed up for consecutive buckets, closing the gap to 56-53. However, JBU lost its shooting prowess after that, and knocked down just five of its last 20 shots from the floor, allowing the Evangels to pull away quickly with a 12-5 run over the next 3:49. The visitors continued shooting well, but John Brown converted 13-of-21 attempts at the line to stay in contention down the stretch.
Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles rebounded well, and out-boarded MACU, 39-36, including taking advantage of 15 offensive rebounds, which JBU converted into 17 second-chance points. While both teams found success in the paint, with the Evangels hold a slight 46-45 edge, it was the Mid-America Christian transition game that secured the victory as the visitors scored 31 fast-break points, while JBU could only counter with six.
Josephs landed all three of JBU's three-point buckets, but John Brown shot a season-worst 3-of-19 from long range (15.8 percent) in the loss. After entering the contest fourth in the nation in field goal percentage and earning a 51.9 percent clip in the first half (14-of-27), the Golden Eagles were relegated to a mere 31.3 percent in the second half (10-of-32), including 2-of-12 from long range. MACU shot an impressive 18-of-30 in the first half, but continued the trend into the second stanza, posting a 53.1 percent clip from the floor (17-of-32) and netted 3-of-6 chances from distance.
Mid-America Christian (10-5, 6-3 SAC) was led by four starters in double digits, including a game-high 26 points from Jarius Wilson, who finished 10-of-15 from the floor and knocked down four treys. Semar Farris notched 19 points and threw around a game-high four assists and pitched in with five steals. Angelo Lewis (18) and Reggie Davis (10) rounded out the visitors' leading scorers.
The Golden Eagles will now embark on a four-game road trip that begins with a trip to Oklahoma Baptist in Shawnee, Okla., on Saturday (Jan. 25). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
