BETHANY, Okla. -- Senior Drew Miller posted a game-high 24 points and the John Brown University men's basketball team shot 16-of-20 from the charity stripe in the second half to secure a 79-70 win over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 23) inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.
Still the league's lone undefeated team, the Golden Eagles (5-2, 3-0 Sooner Athletic) shot an efficient 49 percent from the field (24-of-49) and connected on 44 percent from behind the arc (10-of-23). At the free-throw line, JBU converted 21 of 28 chances, including 16-of-20 in the second half to hold off SCU's late push.
"Really proud of our team for getting the job done today," head coach Jason Beschta admitted. "Every game in our league is a battle, and road wins are especially tough to earn. I thought we did an excellent job on the defensive end tonight and showed great efficiency on offense. It was a true team effort, but I want to give special recognition to our big men. They did an outstanding job defending a very talented post player and absolutely dominated the boards.
"We're playing with a lot of belief and confidence right now, but we must stay focused on the process of improving each day as we navigate a long season."
Miller led the charge with his fifth-consecutive scoring effort of 20 points or more, finishing with a 24-point effort on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor, including a 11-of-14 effort at the line. Junior Josh Stewart chipped in 14 points on a 4-of-6 outing, hitting 2-of-3 from three-point range, while adding six rebounds and two assists. Junior Lukas Gabani made his presence felt on the glass, pulling down a game-high 11 rebounds to go with five points.
JBU's offense clicked early, shooting a blistering 51.7 percent in the first half (15-of-29) and hitting eight of its first 14 triples. A 12-2 game-opening run, fueled by Miller's two triples, gave the visitors its largest lead of 14 points midway through the first half, 22-8. Southwestern Christian responded with back-to-back triples late in the period, cutting the margin to 43-34 at the break.
The second half proved more tightly contested, with SCU senior Deondre Dunn leading the charge. Dunn posted a team-high 24 points on 9-of-21 shooting, including three triples. Despite SCU pulling within four points with just under three minutes left, a Miller and-one followed by a key bucket from junior Klei Nagode helped the visitors finish the game on a final 5-0 run.
The Golden Eagles dominated the rebounding battle, 40-28, and limited SCU to just 39 percent (23-of-59) shooting from the field. JBU's defense also held the Eagles to just 18 points in the paint and 14 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds. While the visitors limited SCU to just six bench points, the JBU reserves produced 19 in the win.
Southwestern Christian was paced by Dunn's 24 points and six rebounds, but shot 9-of-21 from the floor. George McCurdy added 12 points via a 6-of-8 afternoon from the line.
JBU returns to action on Tuesday evening (Nov. 26) when the Golden Eagles take on Oklahoma City inside Abe Lemons Arena at 7:45 p.m. Fans can follow the action live via the SAC Sports Network.
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