SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Combining for 36 points, the No. 24 John Brown University men's basketball bench contributed nearly half of the scoring needed as the Golden Eagles swung the score by 21 points by halftime and ran away with a 77-65 final over Southwestern A.G. (Texas) on Saturday (Jan. 26) afternoon inside Bill George Arena.
A 2-of-9 start from the field allowed the Lions (14-7, 7-6 Sooner Athletic) to pull ahead 18-7 just under eight minutes into the contest, but John Brown finally responded, finishing the final 12 minutes of the half 11-of-19 from the field to swing an 11-point deficit into a 10 point lead at the half, 38-28.
JBU (15-6, 9-4) heated up with six triples in the second half to run away with its third-straight victory.
"We don't have to lean on just a couple guys to be our leading scorers," head coach Jason Beschta said in reference to his four double-digit scorers. "Quintin (Bailey) and Desmond (Kennedy) stepped up again for us today, and especially Quintin – he's so much better that what we've seen, his upside is tremendous.
"Despite the rough start, I thought we defended well in the halfcourt. We did a great job of locking in, and we took care of the ball, against a team that leads the country in steals. Overall, besides the beginning of the game and at the very end, we did a really good job. I'm pleased with how we've grown defensively, it's really become a staple of our program this season."
The SAGU deficit continued to grow in the second half – all the way to 28 points, 72-44, with just over eight minutes remaining.
Finishing the contest on a quiet 13-0 run, the Lions lost for the first time inside Bill George Arena since joining the Sooner Athletic in the 2013-14 season.
Senior Jake Caudle led the team with 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and added six rebounds. Junior Desmond Kennedy added 16 off the bench, while senior Josh Bowling notched 15 on 6-of-11 shooting and narrowly missed his second double-double of the season with a team-best nine boards.
Bailey shot 4-of-5 and posted 12 points, going 4-of-5 from the stripe, while sophomore Densier Carnes pulled down eight caroms, helping the hosts to a 35-30 advantage on the glass.
Nykolas Mason scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the second half for SAGU. Joshua Kashila was the only other Lion to figure in double digits with 11.
SAGU entered the contest leading the nation with an average of 11 steals per contest – John Brown did well to limit those extra chances, keeping the visitors to just four thefts on the afternoon.
The Golden Eagles remain tied with Langston (Okla.) for second place in the SAC standings, now with just nine regular season contests remaining.
Southwestern Christian (Okla.) will make its annual visit to Bill George Arena on Thursday (Jan. 31) as JBU wraps up its three-game homestand with an 8 p.m. tipoff.
