PLAINVIEW, Texas -- Junior Josh Bowling scored a game-high 23 points but the Golden Eagles as a team shot just 35 percent from the field, suffering a 76-61 setback in its regular season finale at Wayland Baptist inside the Hutcherson Center on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 24).
Bowling, who led the squad in scoring for the fourth-straight outing, scored 18 of his 23 in the first half, but a 25-22 lead evaporated before the intermission and the Pioneers (21-8, 13-7 Sooner Athletic) led the entirety of the second half en route to its third-straight victory.
Junior Marquis Waller chipped in 12 points, but JBU leading scorer, junior Jake Caudle, was limited to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting.
What You Need to Know
» After taking a 25-22 lead with 4:36 left in the first half, the Golden Eagles shot just 13-of-35 from the field (37 percent).
» Junior Josh Bowling lead the team in scoring for the fourth-straight game (9 times this season) by registering 18 of his 23 points in the first half.
» Beyond Bowling, the Golden Eagles combined to shoot 31 percent.
» WBU's Reuben Lopez led a quintet of double-digit Pioneer scorers with 19 points, earning 11 at the line. |
The Pioneers retaliated with five double-digit scorers. Ruben Lopez hit 11-of-12 from the line to score 19 points while Trevonta Robertson, Samuel Kalwanyi, Tyrone Davis and Josh Throns each contributed 11 points in the victory.
While the Golden Eagles (16-12, 10-10) only committed two more turnovers than the hosts, Wayland Baptist punished JBU to the tune of 17-3 in points off turnovers.
Fifty-four fouls peppered the contest that saw four lead changes. WBU took the lead for good after it erased a 25-22 Golden Eagle lead and responded with a 9-0 run to take a 31-25 lead. Although John Brown would whittle the deficit down to one possession a few times, the visitors couldn't regain the lead.
JBU shot 33.3 percent in the second half (10-of-30), allowing Baptist to build a lead as high as 18, 75-58.
The Golden Eagles will now wait to find out its SAC tournament quarterfinal matchup, as the official pairings are set to be released on Sunday (Feb. 25) evening. The Golden Eagles will start out on the road, but its opponent is unknown.
