LANGSTON, Okla. -- Fresh off last night's contest that saw him register his 1,000th point as a Golden Eagle, senior Densier Carnes led all players with 17 points as the John Brown University men's basketball team shot 50 percent from the floor and run away to an 85-52 win over shorthanded Langston (Okla.) on Saturday (Feb. 6) afternoon inside the C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse.
Eleven players scored for the Golden Eagles (5-4, 5-4 Sooner Athletic) as the visitors shot 31-of-62 from the field, including a blistering 59 percent, 17-of-29 in the first half, en route to the season sweep of Langston. John Brown used a 20-rebound advantage on the glass, 47-27, and poured in a season high 15 triples in the lopsided win – boosting JBU to its fifth win in six games after losing its first three of the season.
After poor shooting behind the arc the past two contests, Carnes' five triples helped jump-start the triple machine that saw five different Golden Eagles connect from long range. Sophomore DJ Ellis hit four, senior Rokas Grabliauskas added three and junior Luke Harper hit a pair. In the final moments, redshirt freshman Sterling Morphis connected on a trey from the right elbow that punctuated the third time JBU eclipsed the 80-point mark on the season.
Up just seven, 34-27, the visitors used a 13-2 run to close out the first half, including a buzzer-beating triple from Ellis that gave the Golden Eagles all the momentum heading into the locker room. Ellis scored eight of his 14 points during the 3:29 stretch, while buckets from Harper and Grabliasukas jump-started the rally that bled over into the second half.
Now up 18, 47-29, JBU absolutely ran away with a 22-6 romping through the first 9:27 of the second half, blowing open a 69-35 advantage. Carnes netted nine, while senior Brenton Toussaint added four during the stretch. John Brown hit 8-of-17 shots during the extended rally, and the defense limited the Lions to just 3-of-10 from the floor and six turnovers.
"I am so proud of the way our guys came out – focused and with energy after such a short turnaround from the game last night," noted head coach Jason Beschta. "Prior to the game, players set some goals for today that we reached; one of those was really locking in defensively, and I thought we were unbelievable all afternoon. I also think we did a great job again pushing in transition and attacked in the paint, which led to a lot of great three-point looks.
"We were able to get some easier buckets around the basket with Brent and Densier attacking the rim. Brent was a monster each of the last two games, looking more and more like his old self, playing with confidence and strength around the basket. Our depth really came into play as we had so many guys step in and play quality minutes – something that is a strength going down the stretch the rest of the season."
The Lions never led in the contest, and the game was tied for just 36 seconds.
Beyond Carnes' 17 point outing, Ellis finished with 14 points, a career-high, and seven boards. Used sparingly, Toussaint contributed 12 and shot a blistering 6-of-8 from the floor. Grabliauskas hit three triples to contribute 11 points – his best outing of the season so far.
TaMarcus Butler and Aren Thomas each scored 15 in the loss for Langston. Elloheim Clark added 11, but the Lions shot just 27 percent in the second half (7-of-26).
Back in action on Monday (Feb. 8) evening, the Golden Eagles welcome Central Christian (Kan.) to Bill George Arena for a rematch of Thursday's clash in McPherson. The contest, slated to begin at 7:45 p.m., will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
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