SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Junior Desmond Kennedy scored a game-high 17, finishing off consecutive contests in double-digit scoring, and the John Brown University men's basketball team converted 26 free throws in a foul-plagued 76-67 victory over Texas Wesleyan on Thursday (Jan. 24) night inside Bill George Arena.
JBU (14-6, 8-4 Sooner Athletic) finished 26-of-34 from the stripe and overcame a 4-of-20 mark from behind the arc to keep pace with Langston (Okla.) for second place in the Sooner Athletic.
Senior Josh Bowling hit 9-of-10 from the free throw line, while Kennedy converted all six of his attempts.
Texas Wesleyan (9-11, 4-8) went on a quick 7-0 run early in the second half to shave a 16-point deficit down to single digits, 43-34, but three buckets in three trips from junior Quintin Bailey and senior Jake Caudle extinguished the Ram attempt at a comeback, as the teams played a virtually identical second half.
Kennedy hit a trio of triples to finish with 17, while Bowling added three field goals to his 9 free throws to post 15 points, four rebounds and three assists. Caudle secured his first double-double of the season behind seven first-half rebounds and 11 second-half points to contribute 14 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Brenton Toussaint hit an efficient 5-of-6 from the field, ending with 13 points while Bailey finished in double figures for the first time in eight games with 11 points.
The John Brown defense forced 15 TXWES turnovers, its most in its last six outings, and limited the visitors to just four triples, the fewest the Golden Eagles have allowed since allowing just two against Central Christian (Okla.) six games ago.
Sam Lorenzen hit 7-of-13 from the floor to lead Wesleyan with 16 points. Juwan Jones and Justine Flake came off the bench to contribute 13 and 10 points, respectively. The remaining four Ram starters were held to six points or fewer.
After Wesleyan took a 5-2 lead, Bailey's bucket in the paint was followed up by Kennedy's first triple of the contest. On JBU's next possession, Caudle converted his first trey to finish off an 8-0 run, and the Golden Eagles never allowed Wesleyan to retake the lead. The lead ballooned to as many as 19 late in the second half.
John Brown will now take on Southwestern A.G. (Texas) on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The Lions will be looking for revenge for JBU's 15-point upset win in Waxahachie in late November. JBU has never swept SAGU since the Lions joined the Sooner Athletic in the 2014-15 season.
