LAKELAND, Fla. -- After a low-scoring affair was tied at 20 heading into the intermission, the Golden Eagles shot 10-of-15 in the third quarter to rebound from early offensive difficulties as the John Brown University women's basketball team posted a 64-42 win over Southeastern (Fla.) on Saturday (Nov. 18) evening inside The Furnace.
Senior Natalie Smith led all players with 16 points on four triples, as she added seven rebounds and a trio of assists to pace the four Golden Eagles in double-digit scoring.
The Golden Eagles (3-3) suffered through a 1-of-17 spell in the first quarter, but found themselves trailing by just two points, 9-7, at the end of the first quarter. The second stanza wasn't much better for either team as the squads both shot under 30 percent.
Then the tides began to turn after halftime.
Smith went off for eight points in the third as the Golden Eagles poured in 4-of-5 attempts from behind the arc. JBU hit 10-of-15 from the field in the third, with six different players scoring, to build a 10-point advantage, 45-35, entering the final period. JBU scored 25 third-quarter points after netting just 20 in the first half.
The offensive efforts in the fourth cooled slightly for the visitors, but hovering around 50 percent (7-of-15) from floor allowed the Golden Eagles to continue to build its lead. Smith added another pair of triples as the Fire (3-3) shot just 2-of-13 overall over the final 10 minutes of play.
Junior Emily Sanders shot 4-of-8 and 3-of-5 from long range to contribute 13 points, four assists and three steals. Senior Tarrah Stephens added 12 points and eight rebounds while senior Bella Irlenborn led the rebounding effort and grabbed her first double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
John Brown won the rebounding battle, 47-35, and used 15 offensive rebounds to add 12 second-chance points. While Southeastern committed two more miscues, 13-11, the Fire finished the classic shooting just 27 percent (15-of-56) as only one player, Mya Herman, figured in double-digit scoring (10 points).
Hitting 11-of-13 at the line (85 percent), John Brown recovered offensively to finish the evening 22-of-61 (36 percent) from the field, nine makes coming from deep.
With the non-conference portion of the schedule in the rearview mirror, the Golden Eagles will begin Sooner Athletic action on Tuesday (Nov. 28) evening when John Brown welcomes Oklahoma City to Bill George Arena. The 6 p.m. tip will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
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