SILOAM SPRINGS -- Armed with a game-high 11-point lead with just over six minutes left in the contest, two Golden Eagles fouled out, and Southwestern A.G. (Texas) ended the evening with a 13-3 run to finish a 78-75 final over the No. 22 John Brown University men's basketball team on Saturday (Jan. 16) afternoon inside Bill George Arena.
Freshman Noah Taylor splashed his sixth triple of the contest with 6:05 left in the second half, building a 66-55 Golden Eagle advantage – its largest of the season. A few minutes later, the hosts would lose both Brenton Toussaint and Densier Carnes to five fouls – opening the door for the Lions (3-1, 2-1 Sooner Athletic) to take control with the big men on the bench.
The visitors did just that – outscoring John Brown (0-3, 0-3) by a 13-3 margin over the final 2:55 of the contest. JBU shot 0-of-5 from the field in the waning moments, while SAGU converted all six chances at the line. Taylor's three-point trip to the charity stripe accounted for the only output the hosts had left in reserves.
Taylor finished the contest 6-of-12 from behind the arc, and added three more at the line to post a career-high 21 points to lead John Brown. Senior Densier Carnes also contributed 21 points, four rebounds and three blocks before the early exit. Sophomore DJ Ellis added 11 points on three triples and corralled five boards to accompany four assists. Junior Ira Perrier pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds in the loss.
While the Golden Eagles were without Harper, Grabliauskas and Obradovic for a third-straight game, the visiting Lions were also down Nykolas Mason, the reigning Sooner Athletic Player of the Year, and Joshua Kashila – a third-team All-SAC pick last season.
Instead, Southwestern A.G. was paced by a 23-point, 15-rebound performance from Joel Polius. Cody Farmer notched 11 points off the bench.
The hosts finished 13-of-17 from the line – easily its best outing of the season at the stripe, but still struggled to find the consistent offense. Shooting 23-of-63 (34.2 percent) from the floor was anchored by a 34 percent effort in the second half. In comparison, SAGU hit nearly 50 percent (14-of-29) from the field in the second stanza to help make up for its lackluster performance from behind the arc.
Nine of Polius' rebounds were on the offensive end, powering the Lions' 16-7 second-chance scoring advantage. Additionally, the visiting reserves out-scored the John Brown bench by a 28-12 final margin.
On Monday night (Jan. 18), the Golden Eagles close out a three-game homestand by welcoming Langston (Okla.) to Bill George Arena for a 6 p.m. tip. The rescheduled contest will air on the SAC Sports Network.
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