McKENZIE, Tenn. -- Sophomore Natalie Smith scored a season-high 15 points and the Golden Eagles raced out to a 9-1 lead, but the John Brown University women's basketball team suffered a 64-55 setback versus host Bethel (Tenn.) in the first day's action of the Chamber of Commerce Classic on Friday (Nov. 5) afternoon inside Crisp Arena.
Off the bench, Smith hit 5-of-11 from the field, including four triples, but John Brown's (1-2) could only produce one other double-digit scorer, senior Lisa Vanoverberghe. Vanoverberghe contributed 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting before fouling out of the contest.
Vanoverberghe opened the scoring with a triple, and freshman Emily Sanders and junior Tarrah Stephens followed with consecutive layups as the visitors built a quick 9-1 lead just over four minutes into the contest. Unfortunately, a 13-6 rally from the Wildcats (2-1) pulled the tournament hosts within one, 15-14, by the end of the first quarter.
The Golden Eagles could only manage an 8-of-27 (30 percent) in the second and third quarters, finding themselves outscored by five in each period. Sanders and senior Maddie Altman each scored five apiece in the final frame, but John Brown was unable to overcome the nine-point deficit in the final 10 minutes of play.
Bethel heavily out-rebounded John Brown by a 31-17 margin, and the Wildcats connected on 8-of-18 attempts from behind the arc (44 percent). John Brown matched that mark with a 9-of-20 effort from long range, but an 11-of-34 mark inside the arc (32 percent) wasn't enough to avoid the two-game skid.
Millie Bryant scored a game-high 17 on 7-of-13 shooting for Bethel, while Mickey Head and Ryann Roberts contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively.
John Brown will now face No. 3 Campbellsville (Ky.) in Saturday matinee action, with the tip slated for 11:05 a.m. inside Crisp Arena.
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