CONWAY, Ark. -- Junior Elijah Lawrence posted a breakout game, leading all scorers with a game-high 23 points, but a John Brown University second-half surge fell short in an 81-71 loss at Central Baptist (Ark.) on Friday evening (Nov. 1) inside Reddin Fieldhouse.
Off the bench, Lawrence shot 9-of-15 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, while senior Drew Miller posted a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Sophomore Trae Oetting added 12 points and 5 assists to bolster the Golden Eagles' offense.
JBU (1-1) shot 41 percent (26-of-63) from the field but connected on 32 percent (9-of-28) of its three-point attempts. Central Baptist (3-0) held a shooting edge, making 49.2 percent (31-of-63) overall, including 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from long range.
"Tough opponent, tough environment, and we found ourselves in a big hole early," head coach Jason Beschta admitted. "We could have given up, but I was really proud of how we battled back to make it a game. CBC hit several big shots to maintain their lead and keep us from completing the comeback.
"Tests like this, and our response to them, will make us better. We just need to focus on what we can control and look for small improvements. That's what great teams do, and I believe this group is committed to that process."
Central Baptist took early control of the game, jumping out to an early 19-9 lead while shooting 70 percent through the first seven minutes of action. The hosts' lead ballooned to 21, 40-19, until late free-throw shooting powered JBU to a half-ending 10-0 run to pull back within 11 at the break.
Still down by 16 midway through the second, Lawrence got hot, and scored 12 of John Brown's 17 points in a four-minute stretch that pulled the visitors back to within seven, 63-56. Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Golden Eagles would get as CBC shot 60 percent (15-of-25) in the second half.
For the Mustangs, Sage Borbon led the team with 20 points, hitting 6-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe, and pulled down 6 rebounds. Keryn Collins provided 12 points along with 5 assists off the bench, while Hykeem Hancock and Wade Williams contributed 12 and 10 points, respectively.
John Brown University will return home to host the Golden Eagle Invitational, slated for Nov. 8-9 inside Bill George Arena. The Golden Eagles will first take on Webber International (Fla.) on Friday at 4 p.m. before facing Florida College the following afternoon at 3 p.m. Both games will be carried live via the SAC Sports Network.
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