McPHERSON, Kan. -- Freshman Abbey Sanders shot 5-of-6 from the field off the bench and scored a career-high 13 points, but the John Brown University women's basketball team couldn't overcome 26 turnovers as the Golden Eagles fell by an 81-56 final score inside the Sport Center on Saturday (Nov. 4) afternoon to No. 12 Briar Cliff (Iowa) to close out the McPherson Classic.
The Golden Eagles (1-1) fell behind early in the contest and exited the first quarter in a 21-8 hole, courtesy of four Briar Cliff triples and John Brown shooting just 3-of-15 from the field through the first 10 minutes of play.
Sanders was perfect from behind the arc, hitting all three attempts, while junior Emily Sanders led all Golden Eagles with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field. The elder Sanders also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds.
While the Chargers (2-0) led all major statistical categories in the early-season matchup, the Golden Eagles played Briar Cliff to a 60-48 score through the final three periods of action.
John Brown wasn't able to reach the 40 percent mark on the afternoon, finishing 19-of-48 from the floor (39 percent) and couldn't get the long shot to fall consistently, knocking down just 9-of-25 from behind the arc (36 percent). BCU, meanwhile, shot 48 percent overall (31-of-65), hitting 12-of-30 from three-point range.
The Golden Eagles continue the season-opening six-game road trip on Friday (Nov. 10) when John Brown takes on Evangel (Mo.) on the first day of the Mid-America Christian (Okla.) Classic, hosted inside the Gaulke Activity Center. The teams will tip off at 5 p.m. as the contest will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
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