SILOAM SPRINGS -- In a battle to secure its postseason life, the Golden Eagles received 30 points from senior Payton Guiot and a 17-rebound performance from senior James Beckom, as the John Brown University men's basketball team hit the century mark and outlasted Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Thursday night (Feb. 16) by a 101-96 final in overtime inside Bill George Arena.
Two late lead changes added to the drama in regulation after the Evangels (11-16, 8-13 Sooner Athletic) hit a triple and added a pair of free throws following an empty JBU possession to capture a two-point lead, 90-88, with 32 seconds left.
Then with 14 seconds left, freshman Malachi Reeves breathed new life into the Golden Eagle (12-15, 10-11) effort with a triple from the deep corner off a pass from Guiot to return the lead back to the hosts with 14 seconds remaining in regulation.
MACU tied the game at 91 by splitting a pair at the line, forcing John Brown's third overtime game of the season.
The visiting Evangels jumped out to the lead in the extra session, but consecutive buckets from Beckom, including a put-back back of his own missed shot handed JBU a narrow 97-94 advantage. A bucket on the ensuing possession whittled the lead down to one, but then freshman Lukas Gabani worked inside and scored an athletic bucket in a one-on-one with MACU's big man, Seth Hurd, sending the BGA crowd into a frenzy.
Gabani then added to his 18-point effort by swatting the would-be bucket to keep Mid-America Christian in the game into the stands prompting finger wags from around the arena. MACU came up empty on the possession, allowing Beckom and senior Tyren Collins to split their trips at the line to provide cushion.
MACU finished the game 1-of-6 from the floor, while the Golden Eagles scored on three of its final five field goal attempts. The back-and-forth affair provided 21 lead changes and 12 ties.
Free throw shooting provided the edge in an otherwise level matchup. JBU converted 14-of-21 at the line, while the Evangels finished just 8-of-16. John Brown also limited its miscues to just eight on the night, and turned 14 MACU turnovers into 17 points.
Guiot poured in his second 30-point game of the season, hitting 10-of-19 from the floor and 7-of-14 from behind – and sometimes well behind – the arc. He also dished out a career-high 10 assists to complete the double-double.
Gabani was impressively efficient, hitting 9-of-12 overall, and finishing the double-double with 18 points. Beckom also handed in his team-leading seventh double-double of the year, scoring 11 and pulling down a career-high 17 rebounds, accounting for over a third of the Golden Eagle rebounding effort.
Senior DJ Ellis scored 14 and had six assists, while Collins finished with 12. Reeves provided 11 points off the bench.
Hurd also dropped 30 points for the Evangels. Eylan Goodwyn and Trevonte Doolittle added 22 and 18 points, respectively, in the loss.
The win guarantees the Golden Eagles will not miss the SAC tournament, but anything beyond that is largely not decided until regular season contests are completed.
John Brown finished the regular season with a trip to Bethany, Okla. where the Golden Eagles will take on Southwestern Christian in the finale at 3:45 p.m. The game will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
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