SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In a game that featured six ties and 13 lead changes, Southwestern A.G. (Texas) used a triple from Jonathan Walter with 3.1 seconds left to edge John Brown (15-12, 7-9 SAC) in a see-saw battle this afternoon at Bill George Arena.
In a nearly identical game that saw John Brown shoot 37.1 percent and SAGU (20-8, 10-6 SAC) shoot 36.1 percent, the contest came down to free-throw shooting and turnovers. Both squads hit 13 triples on the afternoon, but the Lions shot 12-of-14 from the line while the Golden Eagles shot just 7-of-14. Additionally, JBU committed 13 turnovers that the visitors turned into 18 points. SAGU made just six miscues, translating into just two points for the hosts.
Senior Samson Olayemi split a pair at the line with 28 seconds left to force the games sixth tie, 66-66. SAGU controlled the ball in the halfcourt and whittled down the clock to eight seconds left before running its final play. Off a screen, Walter stepped behind the left arc and drained his sixth triple of the afternoon with 3.1 seconds left for a 69-66 lead.
Junior Griffin Bradys half-court inbounds pass was picked off by Tyler Guidry as the Lions escaped John Brown for the second time this season, both games by three points. SAGU has now won two-straight games at Bill George Arena.
“Today we responded time and time again and came up with the necessary place to keep us in the game,†said head coach Jason Beschta. “In a close game like today, even the little mistakes really come back to haunt you. We have shown that we can play with anybody in this league but we have to correct some of the little things if we are going to finish the games with wins.
“For us, it's still all about being at our best for the conference tournament.â€
In his final home game of his career, senior Max Hopfgartner started the game off 0-of-6 from the field, but quickly turned it on in the second half. He would drill his first bucket of the game, a triple, at the 10:28 mark and then contributed back-to-back buckets, including another trey, which powered John Brown to a 9-2 run that flipped a six-point deficit into a one-point lead, 50-49. Earlier, a 15-2 Golden Eagle run to open the second half brought JBU back into contention with a 41-37 lead after taking a 35-26 deficit into the intermission.
Five-straight lead changes ensued, and SAGU managed a brief 57-54 lead with 5:45 remaining in the contest. Hopfgartner again brought the Bill George Arena faithful to its feet with consecutive triples, returning a 60-57 lead back to the hosts. SAGUs Emmanuel Adoyi buried a triple from the top of the arc in response, but Hopfgartner again hit a bonus shot from the deep right corner to maintain JBUs three-point lead, 63-60.
Thats when turnovers finally caught up with the Golden Eagles. With a three-point lead and possession, Adoyi picked off a Julian Erickson pass at halfcourt and slammed home a dunk before Hopfgartner threw away a pass on the ensuing possession. Walter converted a pair at the line, placing the Lions on top, 64-63. After a pair of empty possesions, SAGUs Rishaad Alexander hit a pair from the stripe just before offensive rebounding gave John Brown a final chance at a comeback.
SAGU elected to intentionally foul Olayemi, which gave the senior a chance to pull John Brown within one at the line. He would hit the first, but miss the second, as junior DJ Feitl tracked down the ball that was destined to fall out of bounds. Feitl knocked the ball back into the hands of Brady, who just missed an and-one chance, but drew the foul.
Brady would knock down the first, but with a chance to tie the game, missed the second. For a second time, JBU earned another shot at life when the ball was poked back to Brady. Out of the timeout, the Lions again fouled Olayemi, who split his pair to tie the game, but handed the visitors the final possession of the game.
Hopfgartner scored all 19 points in the second half, finishing 5-of-6 from behind the arc and completed his ninth double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds. Sophomore Zach English poured in 4-of-8 chances from long range to contribute 12 points and three assists. Brady came off the bench to chip in 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, which tied his career high. Olayemi added a game-best six assists and Feitl dished out five in the loss.
In his first game in in nearly a year, senior Jared Johnson earned the start in his final home game. He pulled down the games first rebound and exited to a BGA ovation. JBU also said goodbye to Hopfgartner and Olayemi, which finished their home careers this afternoon.
“As our last home game of the season, today was about honoring our seniors in all that they have done to get this program to where it is,†Bescta added. “Our guys played with a lot of heart today and were led by our great seniors. It was a back-and-forth battle all game long.â€
Walter netted a game-high 25 points and Alexander shot 5-of-13 from the floor to finish with 17 points. The duo combined for a 9-of-16 mark (56.3 percent) from behind the arc.
John Brown will finish the season on the road with a pair of games in Oklahoma City. On Thursday (Feb. 26), JBU will take on Southwestern Christian (Okla.) at 8 p.m. before closing out the season at Abe Lemons Arena against the Stars on Saturday at 5 p.m.
