The sequence that not only won the game for the Golden Eagles and extended the streak to W17, but made Tarrah the program's all-time leading scorer!! »
Posted by John Brown University Athletics on Saturday, February 3, 2024
PLAINVIEW, Texas -- An early 23-4 lead evaporated in the third quarter, but the Golden Eagles never trailed as senior Tarrah Stephens converted a pair of free throws with one second left to break a 60-all tie and the No. 16 John Brown University women's basketball team held on for a 62-60 win inside the Hutcherson Center on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 3).
After the Flying Queens tied the game with four seconds left, the Golden Eagles (19-3, 16-0 Sooner Athletic) called timeout and advanced the ball into the frontcourt. Stephens took the inbound pass and quickly drove to the hoop, racing around her defender. On the layup attempt, she earned the foul, placing her at the line to not only win the game, but also achieve history.
With her first attempt rattling in, Stephens tied Baily Cameron '19 in career scoring, and with a much easier second attempt, the Wyandotte, Okla. native hit 2,035 points vaulting her to the top spot in the JBU record books.
Wayland (17-5, 12-4) inbound the ball to halfcourt, and a last-second three wouldn't have counted as the would-be game-winning triple didn't come off in time, officially extending John Brown's program-best winning streak to 17 games.
Six different players scored in a first quarter that saw the visitors absolutely dominate the Flying Queens, paced by six points from senior Bella Irlenborn. JBU shot 9-of-16 from the field and left an ice-cold Wayland Baptist just 1-of-15 (7 percent), which built a seemingly insurmountable 23-4 advantage with 2:22 left in the quarter.
WBU would score the frame's final six points, but the visitors had already piled up 37 percent of its scoring total on the afternoon.
The shooting would drop off after the hot start for the Golden Eagles however, as John Brown shot just 11-of-29 (38 percent) over the next two quarters, allowing the hosts to draw within two possessions, 48-43, with 10 minutes remaining.
Senior Josie Sisk provided consecutive buckets in the paint and Stephens converted an old-fashioned three-point play to return the lead to seven, 57-52, with 6:26 left. After neither team scored for nearly three minutes, WBU converted a layup to pull within three, until a Stephens jumper returned the lead to five. The Flying Queens then pulled within one after Megan Nestor hit a pair at the line and followed up a JBU turnover with a layup under the hoop.
With only eight seconds left, senior Natalie Smith took a hard foul and took to the line. After converting only the front end, WBU called timeout and advanced the ball. Linda Brice tied the game with a running layup with four seconds left. Then Stephens' heroics took center stage.
Stephens scored nine of her team-leading 15 points in the fourth quarter, adding eight rebounds and two assists. Irlenborn went 3-of-3 from behind the arc and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while senior Josie Sisk came off the bench to provide a massive 10 points on an incredible 5-of-7 shooting effort – setting a new season high. Junior Graci Harris contributed three exclamatory layups to accompany seven rebounds and five assists, a team-best effort.
Nestor did just about everything for the hosts, completing another 20-20 game with 22 points and 21 rebounds, while Brice scored 12 points on a 5-of-22 shooting mark on the night. The duo combined for 57 percent of WBU's scoring total on the afternoon.
The Golden Eagles will return to Siloam Springs and begin a two-game homestand on Thursday night (Feb. 8) when North Texas at Dallas invades Bill George Arena. The SAC Sports Network will carry the matchup live at 6 p.m.
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