SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University women's basketball team featured four players scoring in double figures and never trailed in an 82-42 win over Crowley's Ridge in the season opener on Saturday evening (Nov. 2) at Bill George Arena.
Sophomore Marta Matamala led the way for the Golden Eagles (1-0), scoring a career-high 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor to go with five rebounds and three assists. Senior Jordan Martin connected on 4-of-9 from behind the arc, matching Matamala's mark from long distance, to score 14 points, while senior Sara Williams added 12 on a 5-of-5 night from the line. Freshman Tarrah Stephens rounded out the double-figure scorers by dropping 11 points in her collegiate debut, while posting five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
John Brown held a big 46-29 advantage on the glass, spearheaded by senior Ally Teague's seven boards. Junior Taylor Fergen added five rebounds as well. The Golden Eagles totaled 28 assists on 29 field goals, as Fergen handed out a game-high 10 helpers. Williams shared another four.
The hosts led wire-to-wire in the contest, finishing out the first quarter on a 21-5 run that was sustained by a six-point burst from Williams on a bucket and a pair of trips to the charity stripe.
After shooting 9-of-19 from the floor in the first, the Golden Eagles slowed down to just 50 percent in the second quarter. Narrowly out-scoring the visitors by two in the frame, John Brown carried a 42-23 lead into the intermission. Martin's 11 points in the first half led all players.
Matamala and the JBU offense exploded in a 22-6 margin in the third quarter as the guard hit 4-of-5 overall and 3-of-4 from long range in the quarter. The Pioneers were limited to just two field goals and eight turnovers which led to a 64-29 Golden Eagle lead.
John Brown outscored the visitors 18-13 in the final stanza, as Matamala tacked on another five points to her career-high total.
JBU held a significant 46-29 rebounding advantage and finished shooting 42 percent (29-of-69) from the floor. Crowley's Ridge suffered through a 31.4 percent (16-of-51) effort, including a 4-of-17 clip from behind the arc. The hosts scored 32 of its points off CRC turnovers (39 percent).
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will now embark on a five-game road trip, starting off with a part of games at the Southwestern A.G. Classic in Waxahachie, Texas next weekend. JBU will take on Paul Quinn (Texas) on Friday night (Nov. 8) before facing No. 6 Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) on Saturday afternoon.
