GOODWELL, Okla. -- Freshman Densier Carnes scored 13 points and secured 11 rebounds, nabbing his first-career double-double, and the John Brown University men's basketball team rode a quartet of double-digit scorers to an overwhelming 96-54 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Thursday night (Feb. 22) inside the Oscar Williams Fieldhouse.
On a night that saw the Golden Eagles (16-12, 10-9 Sooner Athletic) race out to a 9-0 lead and never trail, JBU shot 52.7 percent from the floor (39-of-74) and connected on 13 triples to overwhelm the hosts. The Aggies (11-16, 4-15) have lost nine straight, and were limited to a mere 23.2 percent overall (16-of-69), JBU's second-best defensive effort of the season.
What You Need to Know
» JBU's seven turnovers was not a season low; the Golden Eagles committed only six the first time against OPSU.
» The 42-point victory was the largest conference win for John Brown since a 106-70 win over Bacone (Okla.) last season.
» The Golden Eagles featured four players score in double-digits, powered by freshman Densier Carnes' first-career double-double.
» John Brown started the game on a 9-0 run and never trailed in the contest. |
Junior Josh Bowling hit 6-of-11 to score a team-high 15 points while freshman Darrell Jones shot an efficient 6-of-8 from the floor to contribute 14 points, a career-high, hitting 2-of-3 behind the arc. Freshman Rokas Grabliauskas knocked down 4-of-5 to finish with 10 as leading scorer junior Jake Caudle enjoyed some rest, playing just 22 minutes as each Golden Eagle saw time on the court.
The poor shooting night from OPSU helped John Brown collect a season-best 54 rebounds, including 10 offensive. JBU dominated the paint, 44-16, and riding a deep bench effort, out-scored the hosts 39-16 in the battle of the reserves.
"It was great being able to play everyone tonight and no one had to shoulder big minutes," head coach Jason Beschta commented. "We have a chance to be a little more fresh in our matchup with Wayland on Saturday.
"We continue to play better and better overall – we're peaking at the right time. Some of our guys are stepping up huge. Densier (Carnes) had a nice double-double and Darrell (Jones) scored well tonight. We made a lot of good decisions with the basketball tonight, and that's always fun to see."
Tyler Pate scored 18 for Panhandle State and Jaedon Whitfield contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, his 17th double-double of the season.
John Brown closes the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 24) with a 3 p.m. matinee event at Wayland Baptist (Texas). The Golden Eagles can finish anywhere from sixth to eighth, depending on tiebreakers, which will be announced Sunday night.
