SILOAM SPRINGS -- On the heels of nine first-half triples, the John Brown University men's basketball team built a 42-7 lead at the half and never looked back, claiming a 76-56 win over Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Saturday (Feb. 12) afternoon inside Bill George Arena.
Senior Luke Harper scored a game-high 22 points, 10 different Golden Eagles produced points and JBU finished the afternoon 17-of-23 in the foul-filled second half to keep John Brown (17-11, 11-9 Sooner Athletic) within striking distance of a first-round bye in the Sooner Athletic tournament.
With just two games left in the regular season, the Golden Eagles sit just one game behind Texas Wesleyan, as JBU's final two games including a matchup at conference-leading Science & Arts (Okla.) before a date with Texas Wesleyan in the regular season finale in Siloam Springs.
After four lead changes and a pair of ties in the first half alone, John Brown sported a slim three-point lead, 28-25, before the Golden Eagles finished the first half on a three-point barrage that gave the hosts all the cushion it would need.
Junior DJ's Ellis' jumper started the half-closing 14-2 run over the final 2:43 of the first period. Senior Braden Bayless then hit a triple before Ellis, Harper and sophomore Noah Taylor each stuck treys. The hosts scored on each of its final five possessions, including four three-pointers.
Mid-America Christian did score the first seven points of the second half, but the Golden Eagles retaliated in exactly the same way with a 7-0 run of its own, and the whistle-plagued second half became a free-throw shooting contest for the final 10 minutes of the game.
The visitors finished the second half 13-of-19 from the charity stripe (68 percent), while the Golden Eagles ended up 16-of-22 (73 percent).
The Evangels (16-11, 9-10) couldn't muster much offense away from the foul stripe, scoring 20 of its 56 at the line. Isaiah Hammons led the visitors with 16 points on 12-of-17 shooting at the line while Caleb Riggs added 10 points.
Harper scored 11 points in each half, and added six rebounds and a pair of steals and assists. Ellis finished with 15 points and four rebounds, while an efficient Nemanja Obradovic hit 4-of-5 from the floor to contribute 12 points – connecting on 4-of-6 at the line for the afternoon.
While both teams shot nearly identically, the Golden Eagles won the contest behind the arc – shooting 13-of-31 (42 percent) from long range before icing the contest at the foul line. MACU was pedestrian at best, hitting fewer that a quarter of its attempts from three-point range (4-of-17).
John Brown now faces a pivotal matchup on Thursday (Feb. 17) when the Golden Eagles invade Drover Fieldhouse to take on SAC-leading Science & Arts (Okla.) in a 7:45 p.m. scheduled tip. The matchup will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
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