POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- Behind a career-high 29 points from sophomore Trae Oetting, the John Brown University men's basketball team fended off College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in a tightly contested 75-70 victory on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 18) inside Keeter Gymnasium.
Oetting turned in a dominant performance, shooting 10-of-16 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line while adding four rebounds and a steal. Juniors Klei Nagode and LePra George Jr. each contributed 10 points, with Nagode pulling down six rebounds and George Jr. grabbing five boards and dishing out a pair of assists.
The Golden Eagles (11-6, 9-4 Sooner Athletic) won a huge 39-24 battle of the boards, and limited the Bobcats to just two offensive rebounds and without a point on second chances.
JBU shot an impressive 48 percent (28-of-59) from the floor, including 13-of-16 from the charity stripe. Despite struggling from deep at just 26 percent (6-of-23), the Golden Eagles pulled down 12 offensive rebounds – including four from Nagode – which translated into 12 second-chance points. John Brown's paint presence was crucial, as they outscored the hosts 32-20 inside the arc while not allowing the hosts to grab the lead in the second half.
"Gritty win today as we were locked in a battle with College of the Ozarks all game long, but we were able to make a couple of key stops and baskets at the other end to pull away and get this one done," head coach Jason Beschta noted. "It's always difficult to win on the road in this league, and it's a great way to start the second round of conference play by getting a season sweep over a team.
"We had a lot of guys contribute in this one, and it was especially fun to see Trae have such a monster night playing so close to home. We have a big stretch of games in front of us with a three-game week coming up – excited to keep fighting and growing with this group."
For the Bobcats (6-11, 4-10), Garrett Snyder paced the offense with 20 points, shooting 7-of-11 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line. Jay Baxter added 13 points, four rebounds, and four steals, while Caleb Faulkner chipped in 14 points, going 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
JBU built a 40-34 lead at halftime, riding Oetting's 11 first-half points and a strong defensive effort that held COFO to just three made field goals over the final five minutes of the period. The Bobcats used a late 6-2 run in the first half to cut into JBU's lead, but the Golden Eagles responded with a timely triple from freshman Carter Carbonell and four points from Oetting before the break.
In the second half, College of the Ozarks stormed back behind a quick 14-8 run to tie the game fir the first time at 64 apiece with 5:12 remaining. Two more ties would ensue, but each time John Brown had a response. Knotted at 68 after a couple Bobcat conversions at the charity stripe, senior Drew Miller produced a layup and Nagode compounded it with a short-range jumper after a defensive stop to regain the four-point lead. Over the final three minutes, the JBU defense held College of the Ozarks to 0-of-3 from the floor and allowed just two free throws as Oetting and George combined to finish 3-of-4 at the line to seal the win with late free throws.
With the win, JBU temporarily moves back up into the league's top four squads before returning home to welcome Oklahoma City to Bill George Arena on Monday night (Jan. 20) in another key conference matchup. Tipoff is slated for 7:45 p.m., with live coverage available on the SAC Sports Network.
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