SILOAM SPRINGS -- Junior Payton Guiot came off the bench and sank six triples in the second half, and the fifth-seeded John Brown University men's basketball team used an early run and never looked back in an 89-73 win over Langston (Okla.) in the Sooner Athletic tournament first round Tuesday (Feb. 22) evening inside Bill George Arena.
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?! 🤩
The man from Paragould hit 6-of-7 from behind the arc tonight versus Langston!
Posted by John Brown University Athletics on Tuesday, February 22, 2022
After scoring five points in the first half, Guiot's shooting behind the arc caught fire. Hitting 6-of-7 attempts from behind the arc, the junior scored 19 second-half points and helped the John Brown (19-12) bench provide 42 points in the Golden Eagles' third win over Langston (1-27) this season.
Langston, the tournament's 12 seed, lead early by a 7-3 margin, but triples from senior Luke Harper and junior DJ Ellis fueled a 14-0 response run that built a 17-7 Golden Eagle advantage.
The lead fluctuated between single and double digits for JBU, but another 10-0 that featured treys from Guiot and Harper built an 18-point lead, 37-19, in the latter goings of the first half.
Although the Lions cut the lead to 13 before the intermission, the lead never re-entered single-digit territory before the Guiot show took over in the second half.
Boasting a 14-point lead, Guiot would proceed to sink six triples – including a four-point play – over the next 5:42 that built an insurmountable 22-point John Brown lead, 77-55. Guiot went a perfect 6-of-6 during the stretch, and accounted for all but two Blue and Gold treys in the half.
JBU moved to 10-0 this season when shooting over 45 percent and finished the night at 50 percent (30-of-60), knocking down 15-of-36 three-pointers attempted (42 percent).
Although committing 19 turnovers, the Lions could only make John Brown pay to the tune of eight points, while the hosts converted 13 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.
Guiot's 24 points lead all scorers as he hit seven triples and sank all three shots at the charity stripe. Harper finished with 22 points and three assists, while Ellis contributed 12 points in the win.
Seniors Rokas Grabliauskas and Ira Perrier each pulled down 10 rebounds – for Grabliauskas, a career best, and helped JBU to a lopsided 44-28 advantage on the glass.
Jamaal Clifton scored 16 points and grabbed 10 boards to pace the Lion offense that finished 44 percent from the floor (29-of-66).
The Golden Eagles will now advance to the quarterfinal round and make the longest trip of the season a second time. JBU will make its way to Plainview for a rematch with fourth-seeded Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Friday (Feb. 25) night at 8 p.m. The Pioneers won the first matchup that was played, 49-48, after forfeiting to John Brown due to COVID in early January.
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