WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Facing a double-digit deficit for a majority of the contest, a late run that cut the margin to single digits wasn't enough for the John Brown University men's basketball team as Southwestern A.G. (Texas) held on for an 81-73 score on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 13) inside the Sheaffer Center.
Needing a late charge to stay in the contest, the Golden Eagles (9-6, 4-3 Sooner Athletic) rattled off a 9-2 run over a 3:17 span late in the fourth quarter to pull within five, 71-66, but hitting just 2-of-8 attempts from the field down the stretch allowed SAGU (11-5, 5-3) to finish the second half 15-of-21 from the line and hold on to the important league victory.
What You Need to Know
» The Lions shot nearly 10 percent worse than JBU, but converted 21-of-30 at the stripe as the visitors were called for 8 more fouls.
» Four SAGU players finished in double figures, led by Lance Tipton's season-high 22 points, as he entered the game averaging 12 a contest.
» Toussaint, Waller and Bowling hit buckets and with 3:43 left to play, the Golden Eagles were down only five, 69-64, but finished the game with eight empty possessions.
» The Lions have now won four in a row, while the Golden Ealges have dropped their past two straight. |
While JBU held advantages in bench scoring (29-21) and points in the paint (36-32), the Lions made its mark on the hustle plays, holding the lead in points off turnovers (16-7) and second-chance points (16-6). Powered by 50 rebounds, edging John Brown by five caroms, SAGU nabbed 14 offensive boards, allowing it to take seven more field goal attempts than JBU.
But 15 turnovers was too much to overcome for the visitors, despite out-shooting the hosts 43.3 percent, while holding SAGU to just 35.1 percent.
"We have to stop digging holes for ourselves," admitted head coach Jason Beschta, whose team was down once by a game-high 19 points in the second half. "Coming back from those are just too difficult in this league, and I think we've done it to ourselves in almost every conference game so far. We got away from the things that helped us cut the lead.
"We need to be more committed defensively and smarter offensively. SAGU is very well-coached and they play extremely hard, probably harder than any other team in the league. They've set the bar. We need to consistently match that every single night."
John Brown jumped out to an early 5-0 lead behind a game-opening triple from junior Jake Caudle, followed by a move and layup in the post from junior Mateo Habazin. The JBU defense held the Lions off the scoreboard for nearly the first four minutes of play, and two more triples from Caudle helped the visitors stick in contention to an 11-all tie.
That's when the Golden Eagles hit an offensive wall and SAGU made its move, to the tune of a 15-0 run.
Caudle finished 4-of-7 from behind the arc and 6-of-10 overall to lead John Brown with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Brenton Toussaint added a 12-point, six-rebound effort while junior Marquis Waller registered 10 points and four rebounds.
Lance Tipton led all players with 22 points, and a 7-of-8 effort from the line, and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Cameron Hill notched 13 points, shooting just 3-of-13, but Desmond Medder and Darian Davis each contributed 10 in the victory.
To kick off a three-game week, the Golden Eagles return to action on Tuesday (Jan. 16) at 8 p.m. inside Bill George Arena to host Bacone (Okla.) before taking on Science & Arts (Okla.) and Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
