WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- In a wire-to-wire win, the John Brown University men's basketball team posted its first ranked win of the season, handing previous unbeaten No. 18 Southwestern A.G. (Texas) a 93-78 setback inside the Sheaffer Center on Thursday (Nov. 29) night.
Junior Brenton Toussaint was unstoppable, literally, as he shot 10-of-10 from the field to net a career-high 23 points. The entire Golden Eagle (6-2, 2-0 Sooner Athletic) squad combined to shoot 30-of-55 (55 percent) from the field and hit 12-of-24 from behind the arc.
Despite 21 turnovers, JBU also forced the Lions to make 16 of its own.
The loss for SAGU is its most lopsided defeat at the Sheaffer Center since Dec. 13, 2012, a 92-64 loss to LSU-Shreveport.
"I'm really proud of our effort tonight, for sustaining it for a full 40 minutes," head coach Jason Beschta commented. "That's a strong SAGU team, but after a rough showing on Monday [versus College of the Ozarks] I think it helped by refocusing us on some areas we needed to take a little bit more ownership of. The guys came in with incredible focus and the right mentality.
"Brenton had a huge night, and he set the tone early. Desmond made some really big shots for us as well. But more importantly, we took a lot of charges and it showed our commitment to playing defense, and that's what we want to be known for. This certainly gives us a lot of confidence moving forward."
Sophomore Rokas Grabliauskas chipped in with 15 points and six boards while senior Jake Caudle had a quiet night, compared to most other nights, with 14 points but hit all eight attempts at the charity stripe, and added a team-high seven rebounds.
Kennedy came off the bench to provide 22 minutes and sunk 4-of-5 from behind the arc, finishing with 14 points.
The Lions, meanwhile, shot 42 percent from the floor (28-of-66), but could only convert 5-of-21 from behind the arc (24 percent). JBU also narrowly won the rebounding battle, 36-33.
The Golden Eagles, which led for the entire contest, out-scored the hosts 28-24 in the paint and, more impressively scored seven more points off five fewer Lion turnovers.
Cameron Hill boasted 21 points and five rebounds for SAGU, while Joshua Kashila added 14 points. Nykolas Mason and Darian Davis each notched 13 points apiece in the loss.
JBU now closes its three-game road trip with a 3:05 tip in Ft. Worth on Saturday (Dec. 1) against No. 11 Texas Wesleyan.
