PLAINVIEW, Texas -- In a contest not short on lead changes, the Golden Eagle defense buckled down late in the second half and frustrated Wayland Baptist (Texas) as the No. 10 John Brown University men's basketball team held on for a 64-56 victory on Thursday night (Jan. 23) inside the Hutcherson Center.
Junior Densier Carnes scored 21 of his 26 points in the second half as he grabbed his third-consecutive double-double (10 rebounds) and the Golden Eagles (17-2, 8-1 Sooner Athletic) frustrated the Sooner Athletic's reigning Player of the Year by limiting J.J. Culver to a pair of turnovers during the pivotal waning minutes of the game and a 5-of-15 shooting night overall.
Facing a 50-45 deficit with just 5:42 left in the contest, sophomore Luke Harper's triple jump-started a game-clinching run that saw the visitors rally to a 19-6 streak that clinched the contest. The Golden Eagles limited Wayland Baptist to just two gimme layups in the final 30 seconds after holding the Pioneers (12-6, 6-4) without a field goal for a 4:34 span while JBU used the game's 12th lead change and held on for its fifth-straight in the win column.
The Pioneers committed six turnovers battling through the tough JBU defense over the final 5:42 of the game, committing 21 overall – the most Wayland has made in a single game this season.
"Wayland was able to build a little lead late in the second half, but our guys did a tremendous job of not getting rattled," head coach Jason Beschta noted after securing his 100th career victory as Golden Eagle bench boss. "Instead, we just chipped away, making play after play. Defensively, we did a great job holding them scoreless for long stretches which made the difference."
Instead of folding, John Brown used layups from Harper and Carnes before another big-time Carnes trey. With just over 90 seconds remaining, junior Rokas Grabliauskas took the ball to the hoop with authority, drew the foul and stuck the layup to continue the John Brown run to 15-2.
"We knew tonight was going to be a battle of toughness and wills," added Beschta. "Both teams made things difficult on offense and forced adjustments. Baskets were just hard to come by. I was really proud because it was another game that we had to find a way to win, and we did."
Carnes hit 8-of-14 from the floor, including four triples. While he was the lone Golden Eagle to finish in double-figure scoring, Harper battled to a nine-point performance, and John Brown also received seven timely points from freshman Nemanja Obradovic – all in the first half – hitting 3-of-6 from the field.
While JBU shot under 40 percent for just the fourth time this season, converting 20-of-52 from the field (39 percent), the visitors picked up 17 points at the charity stripe by attacking the bucket and forcing a pair of Pioneers to foul out – including Culver.
Culver, who achieved national notoriety lately after a 100-point performance, hit just 5-of-15 from the field and finished with 20 points, earning seven at the line. He also grabbed six rebounds. Jack Nobles scored nine, but both WBU leading scorer committed five turnovers a piece in the loss.
Up Next »
John Brown finishes off its longest road trip of the season by paying a visit to Goodwell, Okla. on its way back to Northwest Arkansas on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25). The Golden Eagles take on Oklahoma Panhandle State inside Oscar Williams Fieldhouse, with the tip scheduled for 3:45 p.m.
