SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- While both teams started poorly offensively, the John Brown University men's basketball team shot 55.6 percent from the floor and opened up the second half of the Sooner Athletic slate with a 96-71 win over Central Christian (Kan.) inside Bill George Arena on Thursday night (Jan. 25).
The Golden Eagles (11-8, 6-5 Sooner Athletic) excelled in two important categories, leading to the lopsided result. Despite the Tigers' strengths at rebounding (seventh in the nation) and three-point guarding (eighth in the nation), John Brown out-rebounded CCC and splashed 50 percent from behind the arc in Central Christian's (10-9, 3-8) first visit to Bill George Arena as league members.
Fueled by four triples from junior Josh Bowling, John Brown hit 13-of-26 behind the arc. The hosts also dished out the ball to the tune of 25 assists on 35 field goals (71 percent), a single-game high, and out-rebounded the Tigers to the tune of 38-34.
What You Need to Know
» The Golden Eagles improved to 6-1 on the season when shooting over 50 percent from the floor.
» Leading for 32:34 of the contest, tonight's game was just the third time this season John Brown didn't face a double-digit deficit in a conference game. JBU is 2-1 in those contests.
» The Tigers had a hard time scoring, shooting just 33.3 percent, and three of its four leading scorers were held below their season averages.
» Coming out of the break, the Golden Eagles began the second half on a 13-2 run and eventually built a 35-point lead, 77-42, midway through the second half. |
Although both teams started out slowly, combining for just 16 points, an 8-8 tie, 6:50 into the contest, a Jake Caudle triple was quickly followed by another from Bowling, which began a John Brown rally. Sophomore Densier Carnes hit a bucket in the paint and freshman Rokas Grabliauskas notched another triple, bolting the Golden Eagles out to an 11-point edge, 19-8, in just a span of 2:41 following the game's fourth tie at eight apiece.
Boasting a 31-20 lead, Caudle and Grabliauskas each dropped another trey towards the end of the half to maintain a 16-point lead at the intermission.
JBU forced a rather pedestrian second half by jump-starting the second stanza on a 13-2 run, powered by 11 points from Bowling, including a pair of treys, that put the visiting Tigers at a near 30-point disadvantage.
The deficit would hit a game-high 35 for Central Christian, three times, until the visiting Tigers made up some of the difference in the final minutes of the contest.
TJ Williams scored a game-high 24 points off the bench for CCC, including a 10-of-12 mark from the floor, while Cam Martin and Jubril Osagie each chipped in with 11 points. Steve Kuminga registered 10 in the setback and Paul Ard II was limited to just 1-of-9 from the floor as the visitors shot 20-of-60 (30 percent) in the contest.
Bowling hit 6-of-8 from the field on an efficient outing to contribute 16 points while Caudle netted a team-high 17 points and a career-high eight assists and six rebounds. Junior Benjamin Smith was also efficient, knocking down 5-of-6 to post 10 points.
JBU returns to action on Saturday (Jan. 27) at Abe Lemons arena as the Golden Eagles attempt to exact some revenge on Oklahoma City at 5 p.m.
