SHAWNEE, Okla. -- For the first time since the 2007-08 season, the Golden Eagle mens basketball team (10-6, 2-2 SAC) has suffered a five-game losing skid as John Brown suffered a 90-74 setback tonight to St. Gregorys (Okla.) today inside the W.P. Wood Field House.
Max Hopfgartner earned his fifth double-double of the season, but SGUs Marty Wilkerson netted a game-high 28 points, including 19 in the first half, as the Cavaliers used a 15-2 run to break a 26-26 tie.
Three early ties dominated the early goings of the first half until Hopfgartners first triple of the contest netted the score for a fourth time, 15-15. Having led for just 13 seconds, the Golden Eagles received key back-to-back triples from freshmen Matthew Ledford and Julian Erickson to take a slight 24-22 advantage with just 6:56 remaining in the first stanza.
St. Gregorys (7-5, 3-1 SAC) netted a quick four points, but junior DJ Feitl scored two of his team-leading 20 to tie the score at 26 apiece. However, the Golden Eagles would hit an offensive rut.
Six turnovers in the next seven possessions allowed the Cavs to rally on a 15-2 run, including a personal 8-0 run for Wilkerson, the conferences leading scorer. Fortunately for JBU, Ledford and junior Griffin Brady each hit three-pointers before the break, closing the gap to nine, 43-34, at the half.
The Golden Eagles came out firing in the second half and hit three consecutive shot from long range. A pair of triples from Feitl and another from Hopfgartner stunned the Cavaliers as John Brown closed a nine-point gap in 1:29 to open the final 20 minutes.
The next few minutes werent as kind to the visitors when St. Gregorys responded with an 8-0 run that was fueled by an 0-of-3 shooting streak from JBU. Hopfgartner finished a jump shot with 16:49 remaining in the second half to pull the visitors within six, 51-45, but the margin would never be fewer for the remainder of the contest. SGU built a 10-point advantage, 57-47, the ballooned into a 21-point lead with just under three minutes left to play.
Feitl eclipsed 20 points for the eighth time this season and for the second-straight game. He managed to convert five triples on a 6-of-14 shooting effort before fouling out of the contest. Hopfgartners 20 points came from a 7-of-17 mark from the floor as Brady also landed in double figures with 10. Hopfgartner pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds to complete the double-double, sending JBU to a 38-24 advantage on the glass.
Both teams shot well, but the Cavaliers managed to shoot over 50 percent in each half, finishing the contest at 52.5 percent (32-of-61) while John Brown shot at a 46.4 percent (26-of-56) clip. Both teams attempted 29 triples, but JBU sunk one more than the hosts (13-12).
It was turnovers, however, that ultimately provided the Cavs the separation it needed to escape the Golden Eagles. JBU turned the ball over 20 times, for a second-consecutive game, and SGU converted the miscues into 33 points. Conversely, the hosts gave away the rock just six times, leading to a mere two points off turnovers for John Brown.
JBU will return to the court on Thursday (Jan. 15) when it travels to Ft. Worth, Texas, to face Texas Wesleyan in the first game of a two-game Texas road trip. Tip-off with the No. 12 Rams is set for 8 p.m.
