WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- A 14-point second half deficit didn't prove insurmountable for the John Brown University men's basketball team as the Golden Eagles rode a career-high 25 points from senior Tyren Collins in an 86-77 come-from-behind win on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 6) over Southwestern A.G. (Texas) inside the Sheaffer Center.
The decision snapped the Lions' three-game winning streak, while JBU extended theirs to four.
Down 14 points with 15:38 left in the second half, the Golden Eagles (8-4, 6-1 Sooner Athletic) used 21 points from Collins after that point as the JBU big man went off, hitting 8-of-9 from the floor and 3-of-4 from behind the arc, propelling a John Brown comeback that featured a 29-10 Golden Eagle rally over the final 10 minutes of play – including an 11-2 run after SAGU (9-4, 5-2) tied the game at 75 apiece.
That was the lone lead change of the second half. JBU's defense held Southwestern A.G. to 4-of-13 (31 percent) from the field in the final 10 minutes of action. In contrast, the visitors turned up the heat offensively over the last quarter of the afternoon, hitting 10-of-15 (67 percent) when it mattered most.
"What an unbelievable job by our guys today," head coach Jason Beschta admitted. "The way we kept fighting and believing against a really good SAGU team down double figures – and not crumble – is something to be really proud of. We had a number of guys make some big plays for us as we fought back to take the lead, but it's impossible to not call out just how good TC was. He hit shots, took it to the rim strong and played with the confidence that all of us already had in him.
"It's really fun to watch this group just continue to grow, and come together in pursuit of something bigger than themselves."
That something bigger now includes the Golden Eagles sitting all alone in second place in the Sooner Athletic standings through seven games, trailing only undefeated Langston (Okla.).
Collins finished the afternoon with 25 points on 9-of-10 shooting from the floor, and added four rebounds, two assists and a block. Sophomore Malachi Reeves and junior Drew Miller each contributed 17 points apiece, with Reeves posting a team-leading eight rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
Both teams shot nearly 50 percent, with the visitors hitting 30-of-60 and the Lions knocking down 32-of-65. The Golden Eagles doubled up the hosts from long range, dropping 16 triples – on 36 chances – led by five each from Reeves and Miller. Both teams did similar things from the charity stripe and in the rebounding battle. Each squad committed 10 miscues.
CJ Hall poured in a game-high 32 points on 14-of-27 shooting, while CJ Kelley notched 22 points and 10 rebounds in the loss. Cortland Blake added 16 points on four triples off the bench.
Next, John Brown prepares to take on Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Thursday evening (Jan. 11) inside Bill George Arena. Airing live on the SAC Sports Network, the tip is slated for 7:45 p.m.
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