SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- After trailing for the majority of the second half, sophomore Zach English converted four of six attempts from the line on one possession and junior Griffin Brady provided two key buckets late as John Brown (12-7, 4-3 SAC) endured a hot-shooting Southwestern Christian (Okla.) team tonight to capture a 70-69 win inside Bill George Arena.
In almost a repeat of last seasons matchup between to the two squads in Siloam Springs, a 73-69 JBU win, the Golden Eagles needed key plays late in the game to extend its home record to 9-1 on the season.
Down by as many as nine in the second half, the momentum began to swing in favor of the hosts when English took a foul while attacking the bucket with 4:13 remaining in the contest. With the score tied at 59 apiece, Southwestern Christian was not only slapped with a foul, but technical fouls were assessed to SCUs Adam Dirlbeck and Tyler Turner, allowing English six opportunities at the line on a single possession.
English converted four of his six chances which gave John Brown a 63-59 advantage with just over four minutes to play. Brothers Austin and Tyler Turner teamed up to bring the visitors all the way back into a 66-all tie with 1:18 left in the contest. Out of an inbounds play under the bucket, senior Samson Olayemi fed Brady, who had cut to the net behind the Eagle defense, for a lay-in and a two-point lead with 49 ticks left on the clock.
Not to be outdone, SCUs Tyler Turner, who scored a game-high 25 points and 17 in the first half, poured in a triple from the right corner, catapulting the Eagles back into a one-point lead, 69-68. Brady wasnt done, however, as his spin move in the lane created some space and allowed the big man to drop in a running floater with 19 seconds left, handing the hosts a one-point lead.
Brady scored four of his nine points in the final 49 seconds of the game.
The biggest defensive stand of the game was then necessary for JBU, and Olayemi responded. Tuner drove into the lane as the seconds ticked away, but Olayemi timed his jump perfectly, swatting the would-be game-winner out of bounds with 0.3 seconds remaining. SCU would attempt a last-second shot, but time would expire before a shot was taken.
“Sam has been out ‘junkyard dog of sorts this season,†said head coach Jason Beschta. “He played the situation perfectly by not fouling. It was definitely a huge play that weve come to expect from him.â€
The Golden Eagles committed its fewest turnovers since Dec. 19 (11) and just made four miscues in the second half. John Brown now owns the second-best home record in the Sooner Athletic Conference with the win.
“I think we were a little relived to finally come home,†admitted Beschta after his teams 42-day absence from Bill George Arena. “We took it a little lightly, though, we need to remember that things dont just happen because were at home.â€
Before fouling out of the game, junior DJ Feitl was able to score a team-best 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the floor, his ninth 20-point game of the season. English provided his second outing of double-digit points in three games with 13 points as senior Max Hopfgartner battled a difficult shooting night (3-of-10), but finished with nine points and a pair of second-half triples in the win.
Southwestern Christian (5-10, 1-6 SAC) was paced by Tyler Turners season-high 25 points and eight rebounds. Austin Turner followed with 17 points (10-of-10 from the line) and six rebounds while Rishawn Brown, Adam Dirlbeck and Martin Matejcik chipped in with seven points apiece.
Facing an eight-point halftime deficit, 37-29, the Golden Eagles improved to 50 percent from the floor in the second half (13-of-26) while the visitors declined to 38.1 percent (8-of-21). JBU managed to win the rebounding battle, 32-31, but three key treys from freshman Julian Erickson helped the hosts to a 17-11 edge in points from the bench. Junior Ronalds Elksnis also came in to finish 3-of-3 from the floor and six points.
Christian shot impressively from the line, converting 18-of-19 chances (94.7 percent), a season-best performance.
The Golden Eagles will resume play on Saturday (Jan. 24) when it travels to Plainview, Texas, to face the SACs best home team in Wayland Baptist as the Pioneers are a perfect 10-0 inside the Hutcherson Center. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.
