SILOAM SPRINGS -- Earmarked by 11 ties and 12 lead changes, senior Luke Harper went off for 25 points and the Golden Eagles shot 13-of-18 from the charity stripe to split the season series with North Texas at Dallas with a 73-65 win on Thursday night (Jan. 27) inside Bill George Arena.
The visiting Trailblazers (8-14, 4-11 Sooner Athletic) took advantage of JBU's 3-of-11 shooting from behind the arc in the first half and used a 15-4 run over the final 4:34 of the second half to turn a 26-25 Golden Eagle lead into a game-high eight-point advantage, 38-30.
Four ties and five lead changes later midway through the second half, the John Brown (14-9, 8-7) offense came alive, using nine points from Harper – including an old-fashioned three-point play to begin the run – to cobble together a 17-2 run over a 5:20 span to convert a two-point deficit into 13-point advantage.
During the game-deciding rally, the hosts shot 8-of-8 from the floor, while UNT Dallas mired in a 1-of-6 rut, committing a pair of turnovers.
While the Trailblazers scored 14 of the final 23 points, John Brown shot 9-of-12 from the free throw line to keep the margin in manageable distance. Harper sunk 7-of-8 chances at the stripe in the final four minutes of play.
Statistically, the contest was nearly a deadlock. Both teams secured 35 rebounds, committed 12 turnovers, scored 46 points in the paint and hit nearly the same amount of triples.
The difference came in the host's second-half shooting as the Golden Eagles hit 52 percent (14-of-27) of its attempts from the field in the second half and the free-throw chances. UNTD converted on seven of just eight attempts all night long, while JBU managed to sink 13 of its 18 chances.
Junior Payton Guiot hit half of John Brown's triples – three – and finished with 15 points. Junior James Beckom came off the bench to provide a fantastic outing, hitting 4-of-5 from the floor and grabbing five rebounds in the win.
Senior Ira Perrier pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds. Harper added seven caroms to his outstanding night.
The Trailblazers featured a trio of double-digit scorers, led by Rodrick Gaines' 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc off the bench. Vernon Johnson scored 12 and added 11 rebounds to secure the double-double, while Larry Rusk added 11 points and four assists in the setback.
John Brown now turns its attention to Southwestern A.G. (Texas) on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 29). The Lions invade Bill George Arena in a 3:45 p.m. tip, scheduled to stream live on the SAC Sports Network.
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