SILOAM SPRINGS -- Junior Drew Miller scored eight of his game-high 29 points in the final three minutes – including a pair of triples – and sophomore Malachi Reeves converted 8-of-10 from the line as the sixth-seeded John Brown University men's basketball team stole its second game of the season inside the Sheaffer Center, this time upending No. 25 Southwestern A.G. (Texas) on Thursday night (Feb. 29) in the Sooner Athletic tournament quarterfinals.
The Golden Eagles (16-12) poured in 16 triples, making up for the host Lions' (20-9) 50 percent shooting effort. Miller knocked down seven on his own, while sophomore Josh Stewart and senior Noah Taylor each added a trio of treys, vaulting the Golden Eagles into the semifinals, possibly one win away from nabbing the SAC's second autobid to the NAIA National Championships.
"What a great game today, and I couldn't be prouder of our team," head coach Jason Beschta admitted after improving to 4-6 in the quarterfinal round. "The fighting spirit in this group was so strong, and there was just a refusal to give up.
"SAGU was such a tough matchup and has two really elite scorers that make guarding them a nightmare. Our guys made some really big plays down the stretch, and I loved seeing our confidence shooting the basketball. I'm so excited for our seniors, and the team is a whole at the opportunity to extend our season another game."
John Brown finished the game on a 14-8 run after Miller's pair of conversions at the charity stripe gave JBU a narrow one-point lead with 3:30 remaining. SAGU answered Miller's first triple down the stretch, but then at the 2:04 mark, the All-SAC second teamer drilled a trey from the exact same spot – the deep left corner – extending the visitors lead to six, 81-75.
On the Lions' final three possessions in the final minute, the John Brown defense came up with a pair of stops, both SAGU misses from behind the arc. Stewart and Reeves hit all four attempts at the free throw line to ice the contest.
Although the Golden Eagles led for just 13:21 of the evening, the Blue and Gold worked to advantages in rebounding (33-25), points off turnovers (14-13) and points off the bench (17-9). The game was tied 11 times and included 12 lead changes, eight lead swaps happening in the second half alone.
The two-headed scoring threat of Cortland Blake and CJ Hall produced a pair of 24-point efforts to lead the Lions offensively, while Noah Boling added 19 points and seven assists in the loss.
Stewart finished with 17 points off the bench on 6-of-12 shooting. Reeves pulled down nine rebounds.
John Brown will now advance to the semifinal round to take on Mid-America Christian (Okla.) inside the Sid Richardson Center on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University on Monday afternoon (March 4) at 3 p.m. If top-seeded Langston wins its semifinal matchup with Wayland Baptist (Texas), the JBU-MACU winner will earn the league's second autobid to the NAIA National Championships.
The game will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
Tickets for the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament are conveniently available online through GoFan. An all-tournament pass provides exclusive access to all sessions.
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.
