SILOAM SPRINGS -- After allowing the Aggies to score seven straight midway through the second half to tie the game at 51, the Golden Eagles responded with a game-ending 21-4 run to best Oklahoma Panhandle State by a 72-55 final on Thursday night (Dec. 7) inside Bill George Arena.
The Aggies (4-3, 2-1 Sooner Athletic) scored points on just two of its final 12 possessions as John Brown (5-4, 3-1) converted 10-of-11 at the free throw line to ice the game.
Behind sophomore Lukas Gabani's game-high 21 points and nearly unstoppable presence in the post, the Golden Eagles began Sooner Athletic play with wins in three of its first four outings – the first time since JBU did it in back-to-back seasons in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Sophomore Malachi Reeves posted his first double-double of the season with 15 points, including a perfect 6-of-6 effort at the line, and 10 rebounds. Junior Drew Miller hit a pair of treys to finish with 10 and grabbed eight rebounds.
Neither team was able to wrestle a large lead in the first half as the largest lead either direction was seven points. Four triples from the Aggies through the first 20 minutes helped power an early 15-9 lead, but a strong 14-2 response from the Golden Eagles behind six Gabani points down low returned the advantage to the visitors, 23-17.
Both teams traded buckets down the stretch of the first half, prompting a narrow 34-27 John Brown advantage at the intermission.
A 15-7 OPSU run to open the second half returned the lead back to the visitors, 42-41, until the teams stared down a 51-all tie that lead to the strong John Brown finish.
The Golden Eagles improved to 5-1 this season when scoring over 70 points and 4-0 when shooting over 45 percent from the field.
JBU finished 25-of-55 (46 percent) from the floor, hitting 6-of-15 (40 percent) from long range. Most importantly, the hosts scored nearly a quarter of its points from the charity stripe, converting 16-of-19 (84 percent) changes.
Panhandle State, meanwhile, faltered behind the arc in the second half, hitting just 1-of-11 chances, ending the evening 5-of-23 from deep (22 percent). Overall, the Aggies finished at 35 percent (22-of-63) and were out-rebounded by the Golden Eagles 40-35, despite turning 14 offensive boards into only 10 second chance points.
The Golden Eagles now face No. 10 Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Saturday (Dec. 9) afternoon when John Brown welcomes the Pioneers to Bill George Arena for a 4 p.m. showdown to close out the semester. The game will be broadcast live on the SAC Sports Network.
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