OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Gilbert Gyamfi converted a four-point play with 2.3 second left and the Golden Eagles (18-9, 8-9 SAC) came back from a seven-point halftime deficit to hand No. 17 Mid-America Christian (Okla.) a 75-74 defeat tonight at the Gaulke Activity Center.
Facing a 72-71 deficit with just over two minutes to play, JBU failed to score a number of times while turning the ball over three times. MACU scored a bucket with 1:10 to play, but the turning point happened just after Kofi Josephs was assessed his second offensive foul of the final minutes. Guarding the inbounds at halfcourt, Kurtis Phillips intercepted the ball and quickly called a timeout, allowing the Golden Eagles a final chance to tie the score with 19 seconds remaining.
After numerous passes around the perimeter, Gyamfi finally settled on a shot as the clock waned. From the top of the arc, Gyamfi poured in his second triple of the game while absorbing a foul from the Evangels' Jarius Wilson. The foul would cost Wilson and Mid-America Christian the game as Gyamfi confidently converted his second free throw of the evening, allowing the hosts only a wild desperation shot at the buzzer which wouldn't fall.
With the victory, JBU secured a three-way deadlock with Texas Wesleyan and Science & Arts (Okla.) for fifth place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. In two weeks, the teams will convene at Shawnee, Okla., for the conference tournament where seeds 6-11 will have to play an extra round of action, proving tonight's win even more pivotal. The Golden Eagles' 18th victory of the season was the fourth win over teams appearing in the NAIA Coaches' Top-25 Poll. John Brown will have one final matchup with a ranked opponent when Southwestern A.G. (Texas) travels to Siloam Springs, Ark., on March 1.
Josephs led all scorers with a game-high 28 points, powered by 5-of-9 shooting behind the arc. Tonight marked the 12th time Josephs has eclipsed 20 points this season. He also had a six rebounds and a team-high four assists. Gyamfi came on as the game progressed and scored 18 points in the second half en route to 23. Finishing 7-of-12 from the floor, he also had four assists and four rebounds. While no other Golden Eagle finished in double-digits, Max Hopfgartner came off the bench to contribute four rebounds and four blocks, tying his career high single-game rejection total.
The Evangels (14-9, 10-7 SAC) ran out to an early 13-5 lead before Josephs' first triple of the night pulled JBU within three, 13-10. Consecutive buckets from Gyamfi and Phillips actually handed the Golden Eagles a narrow advantage until MACU jetted back out to an 18-14 lead. John Brown fell into a drought midway through the first half after Quinton Smith's second long-range bucket of the evening cut the hosts' lead to one. JBU was unable to score over the next 4:47 when Hopfgartner broke the scoreless lapse with a bucket in the paint off a feed from Jared Johnson at the 5:07 mark.
Down 26-19, Hopfgartner converted an and-one, setting the stage for another, this time from Zach English. English drew the foul, sank the shot and knocked down the free throw with only 53 seconds left in the first half, holding John Brown in contention. Josephs' mid-range jumper cut the MACU lead to 36-29 at the break.
Josephs continued his hot shooting to begin the second stanza as he netted a pair of triples and scored seven of JBU's nine points, fueling the visitors to a 10-6 run to open the half. Down by five, 46-41, Josephs and Gyamfi took over. Back-to-back buckets by the duo set the stage for Josephs' third trey of the half, vaulting the Golden Eagles into its first lead of the game, 48-46.
Over the next 3:17, the squads traded the lead three times and found themselves tied another three times, including a 62-62 score after Gyamfi cleaned up his earlier miss in the paint. Josephs, Gyamfi and Phillips went a perfect 6-of-6 from the line down the stretch, but still had to overcome a four-point margin, 72-68. Gyamfi was up to the task, converting an old-fashioned three-point play at the 2:08 mark, setting the stage for his last-minute heroics.
Although MACU held a 15-shot advantage, John Brown shot an impressive 49 percent (25-of-51) from the floor while converting triples at a 42.9 percent rage (9-of-21). After a 43.2 percent first-half clip, the Evangels dipped to 34.5 percent in the second stanza, finishing 39.4 percent overall (26-of-66). Narrowly winning the battle on the boards, 36-35, JBU was out-scored 28-26 in the paint and 18-12 in the battle of the benches.
Angelo Lewis scored a team-high 21 points for the Evangels on 8-of-18 shooting from the field. Jarius Wilson chipped in with 13 points while Semar Farris, MACU's leading scorer, was held to just 10. Reggie Davis came off the bench to chip 11 points in the loss.
The Golden Eagles will wrap up this week's games when it hosts Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday (Feb. 22) at Bill George Arena at 5:00 p.m.
