SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- It took 50 minutes in a pair of overtimes, but the No. 9 John Brown University men's basketball squad survived four games in eight days by capping off the stretch with a 77-74 double-overtime season sweep of Langston (Okla.) on Thursday night (Feb. 6) inside Bill George Arena.
The visiting Lions had every opportunity to win the contest, but the JBU defense posted defensive stands at the end of both regulation and the first overtime to continue the game into a second overtime session for the second time over the past four weeks. Langston's Latarius Lloyd's mid-range jumper was long at the buzzer of the first overtime, and the tired squads regrouped for a second.
Senior Quintin Bailey split a pair at the line to open the period, but a quick three-point swing in favor of the visitors returned the lead back to Langston, 72-70. Then, sophomore Luke Harper's triple from the top of the arc fell to return the lead back to John Brown for good. Bailey and junior Densier Carnes each added buckets in the post down the stretch as neither team was able to score a point over the final 1:54 of the game.
The visitors shot 2-of-7 in the last five minutes of play as the John Brown defense stepped up to reject the Lion upset bid. Down three with the last possession of the game, Langston's Andrew Reddick heaved up a desperation three that was swatted away by Harper at the left arc as the Golden Eagles continued its 13-0 record inside Bill George Arena and improved to 3-1 in games that extend into overtime.
The first overtime session wasn't without its share of dramatics. Langston scored first and held the lead including a 67-64 advantage with 82 seconds left. With the shot clock winding down, junior Kiree Hutchings knocked down a 23-foot triple from the left arc to tie the score and give the JBU offense a much-needed shot in the arm. After Langston took the lead on the following possession, Carnes worked his way into the post and drew a timely foul and converted both attempts at the line.
In fact, the John Brown offense, after a 33 percent first-half effort and a 1-of-11 mark from behind the arc, relied heavily on working its way to the charity stripe – and made the most of it. The Golden Eagles scored 19-of-22 chances at the line, highlighted by Carnes' 11-of-11 effort.
The hosts also used a staunch 48-27 rebounding advantage, including 22 offensive rebounds, led by 12 from double-double machine, Carnes. He captured his 12th double-double of the season behind a game-high 24 points, including a pair of blocks.
Three other Golden Eagles (21-3, 12-2 Sooner Athletic) finished in double-digit scoring, including sophomore Luke Harper with 14 points and junior Rokas Grabliauskas' 12 points. Hutchings finished the game a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, chipping in 11 points off the bench.
David Hunt II paced Langston with 16 points before fouling out, while John Goodwin added 15 off the bench. Latarius Lloyd scored 13 and Andrew Reddick added 12 in a reserve role.
Up Next
With a grueling four games in eight days schedule now complete, the Golden Eagles will rest for seven days before emerging in Oklahoma City next Thursday (Feb. 13). JBU will take on the Stars in a 7:45 p.m. scheduled matchup.
