BARTLESVILLE, Okla. -- Led by junior Natalie Smith's 19 points, five Golden Eagles scored in double figures and the defense produced 22 turnovers and held the Falcons to a miserable 24 percent shooting effort as the John Brown University women's basketball team dominated Friends (Kan.), 75-34, to sweep through the Oklahoma Wesleyan Classic on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 5) inside the Mueller Sports Center.
The 3-0 start is John Brown's first since the 2018-19 season, when the Golden Eagles began the campaign with five consecutive wins.
JBU (3-0) fell behind 2-0, but then pieced together a 21-7 run over the final 9:18 of the first quarter to build a commanding 21-9 lead that it never relinquished, powered by nine first-quarter points from Smith.
After a second quarter where the Falcons (2-1) shot just 2-of-10 from the floor and the Golden Eagle defense held the opposition to single digits for a second-straight period, John Brown took a commanding 38-16 lead into the break, finishing on a 15-3 run.
The run continued into the second half and finished finally at 25-3, with John Brown shooting 9-of-18 from the floor during the 10:21 stretch, ballooning the margin to 48-16.
Only 18 points were scored, combined, in the fourth quarter with the JBU advantage finishing at a game-high 41 point differential with 62 seconds left in the contest.
Smith finished the afternoon 8-of-14 from the floor, adding five assists and four steals. Senior Tarrah Stephens scored 14 and grabbed five boards, and senior Lisa Vanoverberghe added 13 on three triples with six caroms. Graduate student Maci Mains came off the bench to provide 12 points while sophomore Emily Sanders hit five of her 10 attempts from the floor for 11 points.
The Golden Eagles shot 50 percent from the field (30-of-60), a season high, committed a season-low six turnovers, and out-scored Friends 20-0 on points scored off the turnover.
No Falcon was able to reach double-digit scoring, with McKenzie Shippy and Rayland Garner each finished with seven points apiece.
John Brown will now rest for the week before returning to Oklahoma for another classic, this time hosted by Mid-America Christian (Okla.) inside the Gaulke Activity Center. JBU will take on Oklahoma Wesleyan – for the second time in seven days – on Friday afternoon at 5 p.m. before taking on Evangel (Mo.) the following day at noon. Both contests will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
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