SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Behind a strong second-half surge and standout performances from junior Elijah Lawrence and senior Drew Miller, the John Brown University men's basketball team overcame a halftime deficit to defeat Central Christian (Kan.), 77-71, on Thursday evening (Dec. 12) inside Bill George Arena.
The Golden Eagles (8-3, 6-1 Sooner Athletic) relied on its balance and efficiency, shooting 46 percent from the field (30-of-65) and dominating the paint with 41 points. JBU also turned 12 CCCK turnovers into 12 points, while limiting its turnovers to just nine in the contest.
Lawrence led the Golden Eagles with a team-high 18 points, adding four rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Miller chipped in 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, including three triples, while junior Josh Stewart grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and dished out three assists. Freshman Jack Ullom came off the bench to round out JBU's double-figure scorers with 11 points and six rebounds.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with Central Christian jumping out to an early 13-5 lead. JBU fell into a 13-point hole, but Lawrence scored nine of his 18 points during a half-ending 20-8 Golden Eagle run that saw the hosts limit the hot Tiger offense to a 3-of-10 spurt. JBU hit four triples over the final nine minutes of the first half and close the gap to just one point by the intermission, 34-33.
The second half belonged to JBU, as the Golden Eagles opened with a 13-8 run, sparked by Miller's back-to-back buckets and a timely triple from sophomore Trae Oetting – giving the Blue and Gold its first lead of the evening at 46-42. After an 11-2 Central Christian response that returned the lead to the visitors, 53-48, John Brown again found its offensive rhythm and pieced together a 21-7 run over the next 10 minutes, holding CCCK to just 3-of-13 from the floor during the pivotal stretch.
Although the visitors pulled back within five, twice, JBU hit all four attempts from the charity stripe in the final 30 seconds to solidify its third win of the year while trailing at the half.
JBU's dominance in the paint proved decisive, as the hosts outscored the Tigers 41-28 in the post while also scoring seven points in transition. The Golden Eagles' bench contributed 18 points, led by Ullom's 11, while Stewart's critical effort on the boards led JBU to a 37-32 rebounding advantage.
Central Christian (8-4, 4-4) was paced by Omari Maulana and Chris Whitten, each pouring in 19 points. Jevarrick Butler added 14 off the bench in the loss. While the Tigers shot 47 percent from the floor (27-of-58), the Tigers couldn't overcome allowing 11 John Brown offensive rebounds in the nearly statistically even contest.
The Golden Eagles return to the hardwood Saturday afternoon (Dec. 14) to take on No. 8 Langston (Okla.) inside C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse, live on the SAC Sports Network. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.
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