SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- For the first time in program history, the Golden Eagles (10-2) suffered a loss to Philander Smith (Ark.) as the host Panthers (8-2) rode a 22-5 rally midway through the second half to blow open a 66-61 game to finish off a 96-73 win this afternoon over John Brown inside Mims Gymnasium.
PSC rode 20-point performances from four players. Braylon Spicer poured in a game-high 23 points while Aquill Baynard and Teviin Morris each added 22 apiece. LaDon Carter contributed multiple dunks en route to a 20-point outing.
While John Brown posted a 48.3 percent shooting mark from the field (28-of-58), the Panthers shot an impressive 66.2 percent (43-of-65). With the loss, JBUs four-game win streak ended as the Golden Eagles fall to 2-2 against top-25 opposition on the season.
After John Brown took a small lead in the earlygoings, the Panthers built a 16-8 advantage at the 12:20 mark of the first half. A pair of triples from junior DJ Feitl, sophomore Zach English and freshman Matthew Ledford powered the visitors on a 15-6 rally to take a 23-22 lead. Both teams battled to five ties over the final 8:28 of the stanza until Carters buzzer-beating lay-in created a three-point margin at the half in favor of the hosts, 45-42.
The second half didnt begin well for the Golden Eagles as PSC scored 12 of the first 14 points to balloon its small lead into a 12-point margin, 56-44. Finally at the 14:31 mark, senior Max Hopfgartner drilled a triple from the right arc, which spurred John Brown on a 10-3 run which featured a pair of buckets from junior Ronalds Elksnis. Having whittled the margin down to four, 63-59, Philander Smith took over and ran on a 22-5 run to pull the matchup out of reach.
For the fifth time this season, Feitl notched over 20 points, netting an even 20 on an 8-of-14 shooting mark for the floor, including a pair of triples and a team-leading five assists. Hopfgartner added 19 points while Ledford drained a quartet of treys and finished with 12 points. Junior Griffin Brady pulled down a team-leading nine boards while Elksnis came off the bench to contribute seven points and a pair of offensive rebounds.
The Golden Eagles will return to Little Rock, Ark., next weekend to take on a pair of difficult Mid-South Conference opponents in Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) and the nations No. 2 team in Campbellsville (Ky.) as part of Philander Smiths tournament, which runs from Friday (Dec. 19) through Saturday (Dec. 20).
