McPHERSON, Kan. -- Senior James Beckom scored a season-high 15 points and used 11 boards off the bench to complete his second double-double of the season, leading the John Brown University men's basketball team as the Golden Eagles fended off numerous second-half comeback bids in a 68-66 win over Central Christian (Kan.) on Thursday night (Dec. 1) inside Jerry Alexander Arena.
John Brown (3-6, 1-2 Sooner Athletic) shot 47 percent (24-of-51) from the floor and earned a 45-24 rebounding advantage to produce an end to its six-game slide and remain perfect (10-0) versus the Tigers since Central Christian's entry into the Sooner Athletic in 2017.
Junior Noah Taylor hit an early triple and freshman Lukas Gabani's dunk before another bucket helped John Brown jump out to an early 13-3 lead that it wouldn't relinquish, despite CCCK's attempts in the second half to take advantage of a quartet of Golden Eagles unavailable for the matchup.
In the final 10 minutes of the contest, the Tigers (3-6, 1-3) whittled the John Brown lead to just one, but all four times the visitors produced a response. Beckom scored six of his 15 points in the final 4:21 of the night and JBU converted on just enough free throws (7-for-11) down the stretch to exit Kansas with its first NAIA win of the season.
"What a gutty performance tonight by our guys to come away with a much needed win against a good Central Christian team, head coach Jason Beschta admitted after the contest. "I'm so proud of our guys and the confidence and resiliency we played with in a really tight second half.
"Several guys were given the opportunity to play bigger or different roles than they are accustomed to, and they embraced the chance and really stepped up for us. We continue to make improvements and get better each week, and it's going to be fun to see where this team can get over the rest of the season."
Freshman Malachi Reeves chipped in with 12 points and eight boards, while senior Tyren Collins added nine points and eight boards. The John Brown bench produced 40 percent of the scoring, holding a 27-3 scoring advantage over the Central Christian reserves.
The John Brown bench shot 47 percent (9-of-19) from the field and secured 15 of JBU's 45 caroms.
Reece Warren hit six triples and led all players with 23 points for Central Christian, and Isaiah Rivera added 16 points in the loss. Andre Shelby grabbed eight rebounds.
John Brown will now prepare for its toughest contest of the season thus far when the Golden Eagles welcome No. 15 Langston (Okla.) to Bill George Arena on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 3) at 3:45 p.m. The SAC Sports Network will carry the action live.
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