SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Splashing more than 15 triples for the third time this season, the John Brown University men's basketball team opened Sooner Athletic play on Thursday (Nov. 16) night with a 99-76 win over Bacone (Okla.) inside Bill George Arena.
Seven different players drained at least one triple, and the Golden Eagles (4-1, 1-0) hit 17 treys (50 percent) as John Brown remained perfect inside BGA this season.
Senior Josh Bowling scored a season-high 26 points, hitting 4-of-5 from behind the arc, and connected on six free-throw attempts to accompany a trio of blocks. Senior Jake Caudle also hit four three-pointers, and added four rebounds and two assists to his 17-point performance. Junior Brenton Toussaint came off the bench to provide 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor.
After the visiting Warriors (1-4, 0-1) mounted a surprising 5-0 lead, five triples – including a pair from freshman Desmond Kennedy, ignited a 17-0 John Brown run that handed the lead over for good. Freshman Luke Harper's trey at the 10:59 mark gave the Golden Eagles its biggest lead of the half (14), 23-9.
For the first 10 minutes of the second half, the JBU lead hovered around 20 points until another three-point barrage put the game out of reach. Triples from Caudle, and two each from Bowling and freshman Nathan Corder ballooned the hosts' lead to a game-high 32 points, 88-56, with 6:28 left in the contest. A Benjamin Smith triple a few minutes later would equal Bacone's largest deficit before the Warriors finished the game on a 15-6 rally.
In the turnover-plagued contest, John Brown out-scored Bacone in points off turnovers, 27-15, despite the Warrior's 49-35 margin in the paint. Fifteen offensive boards let the hosts score 21 second-chance points. Both teams finished the night with 36 rebounds apiece.
Ramone Ajose captured the double-double for Bacone, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Ulandus Jones contributed 15 points and Ahjae Johson 11. The Warriors managed a mere 29 percent (7-of-24) from behind the arc.
The Golden Eagles shot over 50 percent from the floor (35-of-64) and from long range (17-of-34) for the first time this season.
Heading back into non-conference play, JBU welcomes Jarvis Christian (Texas) to Bill George Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 20) for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
