SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Gilbert Gyamfi and Kofi Josephs each scored 23 points and the Golden Eagles (15-9, 5-9 SAC) used a season-high 36 free throws to defeat Wayland Baptist (Texas), 90-86, tonight at Bill George Arena.
In the midst of a four-games-in-seven-day stretch, John Brown used 12 Josephs free throws and nine Gyamfi conversions at the line to earn a season sweep of the Pioneers. The Golden Eagles downed WBU 67-66 just nine days ago on Feb. 1 at the Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas. Kurtis Phillips chipped in with six free throws while Quinton Smith netted five of his own.
Smith has delivered offensively for John Brown as of late. Tonight he scored 16 points on a 3-of-5 mark from three-point range. He has scored in double figures in four of his last five games. Josephs finished one rebound shy of a double-double and went 5-of-12 from the floor to accompany a team-leading three assists. Gyamfi scored seven field goals on 15 attempts and secured seven caroms in the winning effort. Phillips finished as the fourth Golden Eagle in double figures with 12 points and six boards.
Facing a two-point deficit with 63 seconds remaining, Gyamfi completed an acrobat run to the bucket and absorbed a foul. After converting the three-point play at the line, John Brown limited Wayland Baptist to a 1-of-7 mark over the final moments. JBU received a pair of free throws from Josephs, Gyamfi and Phillips as the hosts finished the final minute 6-of-8 from the line to grab a 90-86 win.
The Golden Eagles inside game pushed Baptist into 31 personal fouls which, in turn, forced four of the visitors' five starters from the game due to fouling out. JBU's 36-of-47 mark from the free throw line set season highs in both free throws made and attempted, its most since the season opener at Ecclesia (Ark.) where John Brown finished 30-of-40 from the stripe.
Twelve Golden Eagle turnovers and 19 offensive rebounds by the Pioneers allowed Wayland to attempt 22 more field goals that the hosts. Despite the disparity in shots, both teams shot evenly as JBU finished 24-of-58 from the floor (41.4 percent) while Baptist converted shots at an even 40.0 percent clip (32-of-80). John Brown secured its fourth-highest rebounds of the season, 50, and out-rebounded Wayland by six. The teams combined for 101 points in the paint as JBU held a slight 52-49 advantage but the Pioneer bench outscored the John Brown reserves, 31-10.
Baptist opened the second-half scoring after finishing the first stanza down by a pair, 46-44. A Josephs layup at the 16:34 mark tied the match for the sixth time, 53-all, before the Pioneers pushed the lead to a half-high five points with 12:45 remaining. Gyamfi quickly converted a bucket in transition and Smith finished a Phillips pass down low with an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the score at 63 apiece.
Holding onto a three-point lead, 72-69, WBU whittled the margin down to one until Smith knocked down a triple from the right arc, returning the momentum to the Blue and Gold. The long-range basket was the hosts' lone trey of the second half. Four lead changes over a 1:11 span turned into a three-point lead when Gyamfi converted a pair at the line with just 2:24 left. Wayland took the lead momentarily with 1:25 remaining, 83-81, courtesy of back-to-back shots before Gyamfi retaliated with his game-winning three-point play.
Wayland Baptist started the match up 4-0, but a quick 7-0 Golden Eagle run was answered by a WBU triple to even the game at seven. Smith's triple secured JBU's first behind-the-arc shot of the night and tied the score at 10-10. Even at 18-all, Josephs converted a pair at the line before Smith finished a Zach English pass in transition behind the arc, handing John Brown its largest lead, 23-18. The lead grew to nine after Smith and Arty Pavlov each landed a pair at the line until Max Hopfgartner's triple and ensuing mid-range jumper pushed the advantage to 11 on consecutive possessions at the 5:35 mark. Baptist finished the half on a 20-9 rally, fueled by four-consecutive three-pointers, as JBU managed to convert just 5-of-11 opportunities down the stretch.
The Pioneers (16-8, 7-7 SAC) were led by Markus Monroe's 25 points and eight rebounds. Barry Johnson came off the bench and hit 6-of-18 from the floor, including four triples, to finish with 16 points. Travis Payton (14) and Plamen Hristov (10) also finished in double figures for WBU while Juhreece Thompson also collected a team-leading eight rebounds as a reserve.
The Golden Eagles will have two days to recover from two games in three days when it welcomes Texas Wesleyan to Bill George Arena on Thursday (Feb. 13) for an 8:00 p.m. tip-off.
