SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The No. 12 John Brown University women's basketball team opened the 2017-18 season by scoring the second-most points in program history, laying a 116-37 drubbing on Ecclesia (Ark.) on Saturday night (Nov. 4) inside the Bill George Arena.
Five players scored in double figures, led by junior Karina Chandra in her first game as a Golden Eagle. The transfer hit 6-of-9 from behind the arc and finished with a game-high 24 points while adding three assists and a pair of steals. Returning All-America selection junior Baily Cameron notched 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and grabbed eight boards while sophomore Jordan Martin registered 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
Senior Jana Schammel hit a trio of shots from behind the arc and added 11 points as sophomore Ally Teague came off the bench to contribute 10 points and seven rebounds.
"We've been itching for tonight for a while, and we're not going to get better until we start playing some games," head coach Jeff Soderquist said. "We did a pretty good job staying focused throughout the game. We're going to have to have different people step up. We might have a lot of returners, but last year is last year. We have to play this year."
The Golden Eagle (1-0) point output was bested only by last season's 124-51 win over Crowley's Ridge (Ark.).
JBU was clicking all night from the floor, hitting 46-of-79 (58.2 percent), aided by quick transition and even better passing. John Brown tied a program single-game record with 39 assists while scoring 28 points on the fast break.
A pair of Schammel triples built a 12-0 lead for JBU before Ecclesia was able to find the scoreboard.
The hosts' lead grew to as many as 79 points down the stretch as the Royals (1-2) were held to a mere 22.2 percent night from the field (12-of-54), and plagued by 27 turnovers in the lopsided affair.
Haley Greshman scored 16 points but committed 10 turnovers for the visitors while Emily Chadwell added 13 points and three assists in the loss.
With its first match of the season in the books, the Golden Eagles turn to a difficult remainder of its non-conference slate, including a matchup at No. 9 Benedictine (Kan.) on Tuesday (Nov. 7). The Golden Eagles were 2-0 last season against the Ravens, including an ousting in the NAIA National Championships Round of 32 in Billings, Mont.
