MCPHERSON, Kan. -- Senior Drew Miller's 21-point performance could not keep the John Brown University men's basketball team in control as Central Christian (Kan.) rallied in the second half to claim a 75-67 decision on Thursday night (Jan. 23) inside Jerry Alexander Arena.
Drew Miller led the Golden Eagles (12-7, 10-5 Sooner Athletic) with 21 points and nine rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Junior Elijah Lawrence finished with 11 points and three assists, while sophomore Trae Oetting and junior LePra George Jr. each chipped in with seven points apiece.
Despite the loss, JBU led for over 25 minutes of game time and battled through four ties and 14 lead changes. Although the visitors kept Central Christian (11-8, 7-8) to just 26 percent (6-of-23) from behind the arc, the Golden Eagles couldn't overcome a 43-36 rebounding disadvantage as the Tigers shot 16-of-27 from the charity stripe on the night.
John Brown opened the contest with an early 21-14 run, fueled by four triples from four different Golden Eagles. Miller added a bucket and a triple as the visitors' lead grew to a game-high 10 points, 29-19, with 6:30 left in the first half. JBU fell into a 3-of-8 slump before the break, however, allowing CCCK to claw back five points before the intermission with the Blue and Gold in the lead, 35-30.
In the second half, Central Christian turned the game around by controlling the boards – using seven offensive board to create 12 second-chance points. The Golden Eagles trailed by just one, 50-49, midway through the half after the Tigers' 12-5 run to open the half. The offense struggled to regain momentum from there, however, as the Blue and Gold combined to shoot just 6-of-18 from the floor over the final 10 minutes of action, while the hosts rallied to get to the line, shooting 12-of-14 down the stretch.
Central Christian's Chris Whitten matched Miller's scoring output with 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, adding six rebounds. Jaeden Whitten came off the bench to provide 12 points, and the Tigers received eight or nine points from five others to round out the balanced scoring effort. Andruw Rondon led the team with eight boards, while Malachi Farr dished out seven of CCCK's 19 helpers on the night.
While the loss drops JBU to 10-5 in Sooner Athletic Conference play, the Golden Eagles are just one point behind the conference leaders, Nelson (Texas) and Wayland Baptist (Texas) with nine games remaining. John Brown returns to action on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25) when they host Langston (Okla.) at 3:450 p.m. inside Bill George Arena. Fans can catch all the live action on the SAC Sports Network.
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