SILOAM SPRINGS -- The John Brown University men's basketball team dropped its regular season finale against Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 24) inside Bill George Arena.
Although the Golden Eagles (15-12, 13-9 Sooner Athletic) were recipients of a pair of 20-point performances from junior Drew Miller and senior Noah Taylor, JBU shot just 4-of-10 from the field after taking a 69-67 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the contest. MACU responded with the game's 17th and final lead change by knocking down all three field goals the visitors attempted, and finished the game a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe down the stretch.
Miller finished 10-of-22 from the floor for 25 points and added five rebounds and a pair of thefts. In the last showing of his career in Siloam Springs, Taylor shined from behind the arc and converted 7-of-9 from long range to contribute and tied a career high by scoring 21. Sophomores Malachi Reeves and Josh Stewart joined in with 13 and 11 points, respectively, while the tandem racked up a combined nine assists.
Eight first-half triples powered the hosts to a narrow 39-36 advantage at the break. The visitors had built a six-point lead, 25-19, but the Golden Eagles came storming back on Miller's heels as he scored 13 of John Brown's points when the hosts rallied to a 20-4 run to take an eight-point lead, 37-29.
MACU (21-7, 17-5) finished the half on a quick 7-2 spurt to close the gap to three.
After shooting 45 percent in the first half, John Brown finished the game at 43 percent (29-of-68) while the Evangels improved in the second half, scoring at a 56 percent clip in the second half to end the afternoon at 52 percent (28-of-54).
Mid-America Christian's reserves out-scored the Golden Eagles' bench by a 44-11 margin, and held a 42-36 scoring advantage in the paint.
Seth Hurd led the way for MACU, scoring 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Eddie Smith and Jasiah Lewis came off the bench to contribute 13 and 10 points, respectively. Nine different players scored for the visitors, and seven Evangels scored at least eight points each.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles settle into the sixth seed for the 2024 SAC tournament, and will return to action on Thursday evening (Feb. 29) in Waxahachie, Texas to face the third-seeded Southwestern A.G. Lions. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m., and the contest will be simulcast live on the SAC Sports Network and on YouTube.
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