BATESVILLE, Ark. -- Lyon (Ark.) used a mid-first half 8-0 run to take the lead for the rest of the contest and the John Brown University men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season, 70-65, in Bucknell Gymnasium on Thursday (Nov. 3) evening.
The Golden Eagles (1-1) started out hot behind the arc, hitting four of its first five attempts, twice by sophomore Jake Caudle and triples from sophomores Benjamin Smith and Brandon Joseph gave JBU a 12-10 lead.
Powered by a personal six-point outburst by sophomore Marquis Waller over the next 2:22, John Brown maintained a slim 18-17 lead midway through the first half. Senior Ricky Roberts lone field goal of the evening pushed the lead to 21-20, but Lyon responded with its 8-0 rally and the Golden Eagle shooting dropped off until just before the half.
Finally with 2:15 remaining, Caudle's third trey of the evening fell, ending a 5:30 scoreless drought for the visitors and a pair of Brenton Toussaint free throws clawed the Golden Eagles back to within two before the break, 30-28.
The Lyon (1-1) lead widened to as many as seven, twice, until a quick 6-0 run placed JBU right back in the game at 43-42. However, the Scots were lethal from the line and a one-point game quickly ballooned back into an eight-point deficit, 52-44, with 7:28 remaining.
The deficit hit 11 twice, but five points from sophomore Josh Bowling, including a triple, turned the double-digit margin into a one-possession game, 65-62, with 27 ticks left on the clock. However, the hosts hit 5-of-6 from the line down the stretch and the Golden Eagles could only muster a last-second Joseph triple in response.
"Playing against a team that is so methodical and effective in what they run, it can be difficult to speed the game up, so you have to really grind it out each possession," said head coach Jason Beschta. "We did this well in spurts tonight, but we were plagued by turnovers which resulted in too many empty possessions. We have to value the ball better.
"On the defensive end, we simply have to do a better job at guarding our yard, at being able to guard our man one-on-one and then having great help. They made some tough plays finishing at the basket and Narusas really shot the ball well for them. I was pleased to see some different guys step up tonight when given the opportunity."
Justas Narusas went off for a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds, hitting 6-of-9 attempts from behind the arc. Braden Wendel contributed 16 points and Joe Burt added 10, converting 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the win for the Scots.
The Golden Eagles countered with a team-best 12 points from Caudle, on three triples, while Waller's 4-of-5 night from the floor resulted in 12 points as he dished out a team-best three assists. Bowling hit 4-of-7 from the floor to contribute 11 points and senior Zach English hit all four free throws to finish with nine points.
JBU shot consistently from the floor all night, hitting 20-of-44 from the field (45.5 percent) and 47.6 percent from long range (10-of-21). The Scots just shot better in their own barn, knocking down 22-of-43 from the floor (51.2 percent) and 8-of-15 from downtown (53.3 percent).
The Golden Eagles committed 19 turnovers, 14 unforced, while Lyon turned the ball over 14 times, 11 of which were unprompted.
JBU will return home for an 8 p.m. matchup with Benedictine (Kan.) on Tuesday (Nov. 8). Last season, the Ravens took a narrow 68-64 win in Atchison, Kan.
