SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- A 9-2 rally in the first quarter continued into a second-quarter landslide, sending the John Brown University women's basketball team to a 70-60 win over Science & Arts (Okla.) on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 10), ending the Drovers' seven-game winning streak, inside Bill George Arena.
Armed with a 10-6 lead just over the halfway point in the initial quarter, junior Baily Cameron finished the frame by scoring seven consecutive points for the Golden Eagles (15-9, 9-6 Sooner Athletic), capping off a 9-2 quarter-ending rally that continued into a second-quarter avalanche.
"I thought it was a very physical game, and we did a good job stepping up and handling that," head coach Jeff Soderquist noted. "USAO is a good team, they weren't going to let us just take (the win).
"Jana (Schammel) came in and hit some big shots when we needed some baskets. She got into foul trouble early, maybe got some rest, but she hit some big shots in the second half. Ally (Teague) did a great job tonight stepping up. She's making the most of her chances."
Schammel scored 13 of her 16 points in the second half. Teague's nine points was two points shy of a career-high output.
Hitting 8-of-13 from the field (61.5 percent), John Brown opened up a 14-point lead at the halftime, powered by triples from senior Kimmy Deines and a pair from junior Karina Chandra. Impressively, the JBU defense held USAO (21-4, 13-3) to just 3-of-11 shooting and five turnovers as the lead jumped to 14 at the half.
What You Need to Know
» After a disastrous second quarter on Thursday at Mid-America Christian (Okla.), JBU responded with a 20-9 advantage today in the second period.
» The last time these two teams met inside BGA, Science & Arts stole a 67-62 in the 2017 Sooner Athletic tournament quarterfinals.
» Powered by sophomore Ally Teague's nine points, the John Brown bench out-scored the Drover reserves, 21-10.
» Although the visitors shot seven percent better, USAO hit just 5-of-16 from behind the arc, while John Brown converted 17-of-19 at the line. |
A pair of Rosa Orpo makes at the line pushed the lead to a game-high 16, 37-21, but a quick 7-0 response from the Drovers cut the deficit to single digits. Junior Baily Cameron hit four straight free throws after a pair of technical fouls, but USAO refused to bow out of the contest, trading buckets with JBU. Sophomore Ally Teague came up big with a triple and a pair at the line in the final 121 seconds of the quarter to maintain a 10-point John Brown advantage after three.
Consecutive Drover buckets in the fourth trimmed the visitor deficit to six, but another Teague bucket maintained the hosts' lead. Later in the quarter with 3:44 left, USAO rode a 6-0 run to pull within five, 62-57, but back-to-back triples from senior Jana Schammel and Orpo provided an answer as two Schammel makes at the line with 17 seconds left iced the upset win.
Cameron scored a game-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting and a perfect 6-of-6 night from the line. Schammel added 16 points on 4-of-5 shooting behind the arc, while Teague and junior Karina Chandra chipped in with nine and six points, respectively. Senior Kimmy Deines added five dimes in the win.
Although John Brown was out-rebounded, 33-28, and out-scored 32-16 in the paint, the Golden Eagles retaliated by receiving 21 points off the bench and using nine offensive boards to earn 12 second-chance points.
The Drovers were paced by 15 points from Dierra Ely, who narrowly missed the double-double with nine rebounds. Rebecca Worth added 13 points and five assists while Darian Hill contributed 10 points.
JBU kept Vivian Holcomb to 3-of-8 shooting (seven points) and three rebounds after the transfer post dropped 12 points and nine rebounds against the Golden Eagles in the teams' first meeting in Chickasha on Jan. 18.
With a full schedule next week consisting of three games, John Brown returns to action on Tuesday (Feb. 13) at Bacone (Okla.) at 6 p.m. before hosting Texas Wesleyan and Southwestern A.G. (Texas) at Bill George Arena later in the week.
