LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Junior Densier Carnes recorded his third-consecutive double-double and the John Brown University men's basketball team used a 42-23 halftime lead to down Philander Smith (Ark.) by a wire-to-wire 71-52 final on Monday evening (Nov. 11) inside Mims Gymnasium.
Carnes' game-high 13 rebounds powered the Golden Eagles (4-0) to a dominating performance on the glass as the visitors out-boarded the Panthers by a 41-24 margin, including 12 on the offensive glass. JBU has out-rebounded all four opponents so far this season.
Carnes added 11 points, but sophomore Luke Harper again led the way with 21 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. He also flirted with a double-double, grabbing a career-high eight rebounds. Junior Kiree Hutchings came off the bench to contribute nine points, seven in the first half, while senior Quintin Bailey, junior Rokas Grabliauskas and freshman Adam Asgeirsson each posted eight points in John Brown's third win away from Bill George Arena this season.
"Proud of the way we went on the road for our third game in four days to play in a tough environment against an athletic team ," head coach Jason Beschta noted. "We played a really solid game, especially in the first half – and it was our defense that set the tone and allowed us to build a big halftime lead. We shared the ball well and did a great job limiting Philander Smith to only one shot.
"They turned up the pressure in the second half, and we got a little careless. Overall, though, we did a great job guarding in the half-court and shared the ball well with lots of guys stepping up with big performances."
Philander Smith was only able to create two second-chance scoring opportunities in the first half and shot just 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from the floor and 1-of-10 from long range. JBU, meanwhile, hit 6-of-10 from three and shot at a 58.3 percent (14-of-24) overall to help overcome 11 first-half miscues.
Ja'Wan Wright's layup midway through the first half closed the JBU narrow lead to three, 18-15, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 24-8 closing run over the final 10 minutes of the half to create all the separation it needed for the rest of the contest.
Asgeirsson fueled the JBU effort in the second half with 3-of-3 shooting from the field, including a pair of triples, as the visitors tried to contain Robert Jordan and his 13 second-half points. The John Brown lead shrunk to 14 a few times, but Harper's triple with 1:18 left and another layup down the stretch derailed any chance of a Panther comeback.
Jordan's 15 points led Philander Smith's scoring efforts, but a 35 percent shooting night (20-of-57) was no match for the Golden Eagle clip of 50 percent (23-of-46). The JBU defense has now limited teams to shooting the ball less than 40 percent in three of its four games this season.
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The Golden Eagles will return home to host the John Brown University Classic in which JBU welcomes Bethel (Ind.), College of the Ozarks (Mo.) and Ozark Christian (Mo.) to Bill George Arena for a four-game weekend on Friday and Saturday.
