SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- For the second time this season, sophomore Zach English tallied a career high against Texas Wesleyan (15-10, 4-10 SAC) and this time poured in 21 points as John Brown (15-11, 7-7 SAC) used a pair of 20-point performances to land an 83-78 win over the Rams this afternoon at Bill George Arena.
In just two games against Wesleyan, English has scored 41 points. This afternoon, he shot 5-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-7 from behind the line. English also knocked in all seven attempts at the line, six of which came in the games final moments, helping cement the victory.
“Zach is an excellent free throw shooter,†said head coach Jason Bescta. “On the court, he doesnt force anything and he picks and chooses when to strike. He was really efficient out there and that just helps our chances of success.â€
John Brown has now won its last three Saturday afternoon games and with todays win, sweeps the season series with the Rams.
Seniors Samson Olayemi and Max Hopfgartner provided the leadership needed to overcome a difficult loss on Thursday to No. 16 Mid-America Christian (Okla.). Olayemi nearly claimed a double-double with nine assists and seven rebounds while only committing two turnovers. Hopfgartner shot 7-of-13 from the field to pour in 22 points while grabbing a game-high nine boards in the win.
“We challenged our players after the loss on Thursday,†added Bescta, “and a lot of that fell on the shoulders of our captains. They did everything out there today and they took ownership of who we want to be as a team. Max was phenomenal for us and Sam was outstanding at the point.â€
Wesleyan scored six times on its first eight attempts from the field but English countered with a pair of triples followed by another trey from junior Griffin Brady, holding the Rams to just a 15-9 lead in the early goings of the contest. TWUs Jerrell Ellis netted four points over a 27-second span, but Hopfgartners triple helped keep John Brown within striking distance, 23-16, midway through the first frame.
Down 32-24, a bonus shot and a layup from freshman Matthew Ledford jump-started a 9-0 Golden Eagle rally that was punctuated by a Griffin long-distance shot, handing JBU its first lead of the game, 33-32, since the 19:05 mark. Junior DJ Feitl stripped Wesleyans Chris Gracela and finished the lay-in and knocked down a timely triple with eight seconds left, powering JBU to a 40-37 lead at the break.
A pair of ties and six lead changes were featured over the first eight minutes of the second stanza. Feitl knocked down his second bonus shot of the game, followed by a Hopfgartner bank shot from Olayemi to open a little breathing room for the hosts, 55-49.
Hopfgartner continued his strong play by tallying seven points in four possessions with five minutes left as his last bucket from Olayemi down low returned the lead back to John Brown, 65-63. English then stepped up with four-consecutive makes at the line pushing JBU back to a 71-66 advantage.
Under a minute left, Feitl and English each punctuated the win with a triple, and despite hot shooting from the Rams in the final minutes to keep things close, Feitl and English each converted a pair at the line with 19 and 12 seconds left, respectively, to clinch the victory.
Sam Akano scored a game-high 25 points for the Rams, which have now lost five of its last six games. Ellis notched 21 points off the bench while Merv Lindsay compiled 14 points and a team-best seven rebounds in the loss.
Both teams shot exceptionally well. John Brown handed in a 24-of-51 performance (47.1 percent) and Wesleyan shot 50.8 percent (30-of-59). Both teams committed 14 turnovers, but JBU made the visitors pay to the tune of 23 points, compared to just 16 Ram points off Golden Eagles miscues. Both teams secured 32 rebounds as JBU racked up 18 assists on 24 field goals (75 percent).
Feitl finished the game with 18 points and a 4-of-9 mark behind the line. He also chipped in with five boards and three assists.
John Brown will return to action on Thursday (Feb. 19) when it welcomes No. 18 Wayland Baptist (Texas) to Bill George Arena for an 8 p.m. start.
