SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – The John Brown University women's basketball team rode a hot streak to end the third quarter and ran away with a 20-point win over McPherson (Kan.) 67-46 on Wednesday night (Nov. 13), capturing its first win inside Bill George Arena.
The Golden Eagles (2-3) dominated the paint to the tune of 20 offensive rebounds, generating the hosts 15 more field goal attempts on the evening. JBU also outscored the Bulldogs (0-5) by a 46-29 margin in the lane despite a cool shooting effort from behind the arc.
For the fourth time in as many games, a new leading scorer emerged for the Blue and Gold. This time, freshman Caelyn Ferguson led the Golden Eagles with 17 points on efficient 6-of-9 shooting effort, adding six rebounds and a pair of assists. Freshman Sarah Snodgrass delivered her third double-double of the season with 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive boards. Freshman Riley Gottsponer added nine points and nine rebounds.
JBU shot 35 percent from the field (25-of-71), including 22 percent from beyond the arc (7-of-32). McPherson struggled with accuracy, shooting just 30 percent from the floor (17-of-56) and converted on 3-of-18 from long range (17 percent).
The Golden Eagles dominated the boards, securing a 52-34 rebounding advantage, including 16 offensive rebounds that provided a 23-8 second-chance scoring margin. JBU also scored effectively off the visitor turnovers, converting 15 McPherson mistakes into 16 points.
JBU came out strong, finishing the first quarter ahead 21-15. Snodgrass completed her double-double before the intermission, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds. John Brown opened the game shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and opened up a an 18-11 lead late in the first quarter. While neither team shot well in the second period, back-to-back jumpers from Gottsponer and freshman Carley Sexton to open the frame helped build a 10-point lead, 25-15, which JBU rode into the half after sophomore Abbey Sanders' triple with 37 seconds left. The Golden Eagles' defense held McPherson to just five second-quarter points, finishing 1-of-9 from the field in the second.
McPherson attempted to close the gap in the third quarter, but JBU's rebounding dominance kept the momentum. The Bulldogs hit 4-of-9 through the earlygoings of the third to pull within six after a 12-5 half-opening run, but the Blue and Gold retaliated with a lopsided 14-0 run over the final 4:14 of the period to fend off the last McPherson counterpunch of the evening. Five different Golden Eagles scored during the run, and freshmen Laci Scott and Hannah Gibbons each hit triples in the final 90 seconds to balloon the JBU lead back to 20 entering the fourth quarter.
A late 8-0 Bulldog run whittled the lead back to 14, but a Gottsponer bucket in the pain followed by a Sexton triple and a pair at the charity stripe ended the evening on a 7-0 John Brown run as the Golden Eagle defense kept McPherson off the scoreboard over the final 4:30 of the night.
McPherson's Gillian Rodgers led the visitors with 14 points, while Kennedy Smith pulled down 12 rebounds and contributed eight points in the loss.
JBU will remain at home for their next matchup as the Golden Eagles open Sooner Athletic play, hosting College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 16) at 2 p.m. Fans can follow the action live on the SAC Sports Network as the Bobcats are welcomed to Siloam Springs for the first time as new conference members.
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