GOODWELL, Okla. -- Junior Drew Miller had a game-high 18 points and completed his fourth double-double of the season with 11 rebounds and the John Brown University men's basketball team captured a tough 70-66 win inside Anchor D Arena over Oklahoma Panhandle State on Thursday night (Feb. 1).
"What a gritty effort out of our team tonight," head coach Jason Beschta noted after the Golden Eagles improved to 5-6 on the road this season. "After a first half that was sloppy, our guys did a tremendous job of regrouping, refocusing and recommitting to what we needed to do to give ourselves a chance.
"Panhandle did a great job of battling back in some big finishes and shots late, but a great job by our guys to hit free throws and get enough stops to close it out."
Senior Tyren Collins hit an efficient 5-of-9 from the floor and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Trae Oetting hit all five free throws and produced 12 points off the bench, while sophomore Josh Stewart added another 10 points as a reserve and dished out a career-high six assists in the Golden Eagle win.
Although trailing the game by four at the break, 31-27, JBU enjoyed five points apiece from Collins and Miller to open the second half – in addition to a Lukas Gabani and-one effort – which completed a 13-4 run over the first 5:04 to give John Brown a five-point lead, 40-35.
Another 11-4 run midway through the half, powered by a Collins triple and layups from Oetting and Stewart, opened a 10-point visitor lead with just over eight minutes left. OPSU responded and crept within five, but Gabani's layup was followed by a Miller triple that stymied the Panhandle comeback attempt.
Then after pulling within four, 62-58, the Aggies made one more charge at erasing the gap, but John Brown finished 6-of-6 at the charity stripe in the final 3:08 and absorbed the late Panhandle State effort.
Miller finished 50 percent from the floor (6-of-12) and hit four triples in the win. JBU out-rebounded the hosts by a 40-29 margin, improving to 10-1 on the season when winning the battle on the boards.
Paced by Oetting and Stewart, John Brown enjoyed a 23-10 bench scoring advantage while shooting 44 percent overall from the field (22-of-50).
The Golden Eagles close out its three-game road trip on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3) at Wayland Baptist (Texas). Sophomore Malachi Reeves' last-second triple ousted the Pioneers in the squads' first meeting of the season in Bill George Arena. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. inside the Hutcherson Center, live on the SAC Sports Network.
FOLLOW THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Don't miss a minute of the latest action surrounding JBU Athletics by following the Golden Eagles on Twitter (@JBUathletics), Instagram (@JBUathletics) and Facebook (/JBUathletics). Catch every Golden Eagle home game and select away games on the SAC Sports Network, available online or for download on your favorite streaming device.
