SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Behind a near-60 percent shooting effort, the John Brown University men's basketball team produced four double-digit scorers and dominated the glass Saturday (Nov. 16) at Bill George Arena, defeating College of the Ozarks (Mo.), 102-76, in its Sooner Athletic Conference opener.
The Golden Eagles (3-2, 1-0 Sooner Athletic) shot an incredible 59 percent from the field (39-of-66) and a blistering 61 percent from three-point range (19-of-31), marking the first time in 1,827 days the Blue and Gold surpassed 60 percent from beyond the arc against an NAIA opponent. The last occurrence came against these same Bobcats on Nov. 16, 2019.
Senior Drew Miller led the way with a 23-point performance, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor, including a 5-of-6 effort from long range. Sophomore Trae Oetting chipped in a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and a 4-of-5 finish from behind the arc. Freshman Jack Ullom also posted a career-best performance off the bench, adding 13 points while going 6-of-8 from the floor.
JBU's bench contributed 42 points, including freshman Carter Carbonell hitting all nine points of his career best in the second half as the Golden Eagle reserves finished the final 20 minutes with 26 points.
JBU also dominated on the boards, holding a 42-27 rebounding advantage. The Golden Eagles' defense limited the Bobcats to just 10 second-chance points, offsetting COFO's 17 offensive rebounds.
The visitors opened the game hitting 6-of-8 from the floor to take an early 17-12 lead, but a quick 14-0 John Brown run over the next 2:52 generated a nine-point lead that the Bobcats wouldn't recover from. Four consecutive triples – including a pair from junior Elijah Lawrence – placed the hosts ahead, 26-17. The Bobcats battled back with a 9-5 spurt to trim the deficit to five, but JBU regained momentum with another 10-3 run, highlighted by two Miller triples and an old-fashioned and-one from senior Boaz Camp to balloon the margin to 12. Junior Josh Stewart added a trey down the stretch and Miller hit another pair of consecutive triples to maintain the 11 point lead at the intermission, 59-48.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles continued its offensive efficiency. JBU shot 61 percent (17-of-28) from the floor, dishing out 10 assists on 17 field goals. Carbonell's triple at the 7:09 mark pushed the JBU advantage to a game-high 30 points, 93-96, to finish a 25-9 Blue and Gold run.
For the Bobcats (2-2, 0-1), Andrew Dalton and Jay Baxter led with 14 points apiece, while DJ Quarles and Bryce Butler added 13. College of the Ozarks shot 44 percent from the field (27-of-62) but struggled to compete on the glass with the hosts and shut down the JBU three-point shooting effort.
The Golden Eagles return to action Thursday (Nov. 21) when JBU welcomes Mid-America Christian (Okla.) in another Sooner Athletic Conference matchup inside Bill George Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m., and fans can watch live on the SAC Sports Network.
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