SILOAM SPRINGS -- Six Golden Eagles scored in double figures and the hosts shot 48 percent from the floor as the John Brown University men's basketball team pieced together a 90-60 opening night win over Barclay (Kan.) in the 40th anniversary of the Toilet Paper Game on Friday (Oct. 27) evening inside Bill George Arena.
Newcomer Drew Miller led the Golden Eagles (1-0) in scoring with 16 points on a trio of triples as the junior transfer grabbed four rebounds in his JBU debut. Sophomore Josh Stewart didn't miss all night, hitting all six shots attempted from the floor, to score 14 points that accompanied seven rebounds.
Senior Noah Taylor, sophomore Malachi Reeves and senior Tyren Collins all added 12 points in John Brown fifth-straight win over the Bears (0-1). Freshman Trae Oetting netted 10 points while making his first collegiate appearance.
The toilet paper made its appearance on the John Sheehy Court 47 seconds into the game after the Bears took an early 2-0 lead, scoring on its first possession. Reeves found Miller at the top of the arc where Miller drained a perfect shot, commencing the 40th communal throw of toilet paper from the sold out Bill George Arena crowd.
Once the jitters were overcome, the Golden Eagles turned a 12-8 early deficit into 29-14 advantage via a 21-2 run and never looked back. Taylor's triple with 4:21 remaining in the first half capped off another 8-0 John Brown run and built a 22-point lead, 42-20.
Armed with a 15-point lead at the intermission, John Brown scored nine of the first 11 points in the second half, rebuilding the 20-point advantage. Oetting went on a person eight-point scoring run midway through the second half, connecting on back-to-back triples, and converting a pair at the line that generated a 24-point lead for JBU, 71-47.
The final 5:41 really saw the hosts run away with the contest as John Brown finished the night on a 15-2 run, knocking down 3-of-4 from long range, and keeping the Bears to a combined 0-of-7 mark from the field during the last stretch.
John Brown connected on an impressive 56 percent of attempts from behind the arc (14-of-25), while clicking at a 48 percent efficiency (29-of-61) from the floor overall. Barclay struggled mostly from the floor, finishing at 34 percent (22-of-64), but was led by Davion Knight's 18-point effort that saw him drain 4-of-6 from deep and 7-of-16 overall.
Using a strong 48-30 rebounding advantage, including 12 offensive boards, the Golden Eagles worked to produce 19 second-chance points and used its size to hold a 56-36 scoring advantage in the paint.
JBU will now rest until it takes on Central Baptist (Ark.) on Saturday (Nov. 4) at Bill George Arena. The Mustangs won last year's matchup in Conway by a 70-48 margin. The contest will be carried live at 5:30 p.m. on the SAC Sports Network.
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