SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In a game marred by fouls, the John Brown University men's basketball team used several big plays to finish off non-conference foe Jarvis Christian (Texas) inside Bill George Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 20) evening.
Senior Josh Bowling led the way with 27 points and eight rebounds, including eight points from the free throw line to lead the Golden Eagles (5-1) to a win over the high-octane Bulldogs (2-3). Junior Brenton Toussaint came off the bench to contribute 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting for the hosts, while freshman Desmond Kennedy added 15 in his first career start.
In a foul-filled first half, freshman Nathan Corder came off the bench to add five straight points to end the period. After chipping in two free throws, Corder's contested trey just before the halftime buzzer gave the Golden Eagles a 32-26 lead heading into the locker room.
The two teams traded blows throughout the second half. In a game that featured seven lead changes, Jarvis Christian's Chasten King piled up 29 points, including a second-half burst of 23 on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor in the final 20 minutes of play.
While the game was full of big plays, none was bigger than Toussaint's and-one finish with 2:37 remaining. With the Golden Eagles trailing 65-64, the junior muscled his way to the basket, absorbing contact and drawing the foul, while sinking his attempt. Toussaint would make the subsequent free throw, putting the Golden Eagles up 67-65, a lead they would not relinquish.
Strong defense and converted free throws in the final three minutes paved the way to victory for the Golden Eagles. Four made free throws from Kennedy and two more from Bowling in the final minute put the game on ice. Bowling converted 8-of-10 total on the night.
The Golden Eagles rode a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points in the win, as well as out-rebounding the Bulldogs 35-33, in a game that featured 56 total fouls between the two teams that nearly took two hours to complete (1:57).
The Golden Eagles play another non-conference game before conference play resumes, heading to College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Monday (Nov. 26) for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
