HILLSBORO, Kan. -- A strong start and dominant rebounding effort weren't enough for John Brown University on Saturday morning, as a third-quarter surge carried Bethany (Kan.) past the Golden Eagles 63-55 inside the Tabor College Gymnasium.
The Golden Eagles (0-2) jumped out early, hitting four 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes to grab an 18-16 lead after one quarter. Sophomore Sarah Snodgrass established an early presence with six points and five rebounds in the first frame, and JBU's ball movement led to assists on four of its seven made field goals.
Both teams struggled in the second quarter, however. JBU went just 2-of-15 from the floor, while Bethany managed 3-of-14, combining for nine points in the period. The defensive grind kept John Brown narrowly in front, 23-21, at halftime.
The Swedes (1-2) flipped the game in the third quarter, shooting 69 percent (11-of-16) to post 27 points – more than their entire first-half total – and take control. JBU countered with three triples from sophomore Caelyn Ferguson and sophomore Lilli Mindeman, but the Golden Eagles couldn't slow Bethany's interior attack, which produced 28 points in the paint overall.
John Brown outscored the Swedes 19-13 in the final frame and trimmed the deficit to single digits Snodgrass' second-half shooting, but the early damage proved too much to overcome.
Snodgrass led JBU with her second double-double of the year with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Sanders added 13 points and three boards. Ferguson finished with 12 points, and Mindeman contributed nine points and four assists.
The Golden Eagles shot 32 percent (20-of-63) from the field and 39 percent (10-of-26) from beyond the arc. They controlled the boards 40-30, including 17 offensive rebounds, but converted only nine second-chance points. JBU also limited Bethany to 28-percent shooting from deep (5-of-18).
Turnovers proved costly – JBU committed 21, leading directly to 18 Bethany points. The Swedes took advantage at the line, going 10-of-12 (83 percent), while the Golden Eagles hit 5-of-8 (63 percent).
Janae Black-Harmon paced Bethany with 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting and added five rebounds. Jae'Mya Lyons came off the bench to score 11 points and grab seven boards, and Becca Unruh chipped in 10 points and four assists.
The Blue and Gold will continue its non-conference classic run next weekend (Nov. 7-8), first taking on host Northwestern (Iowa) inside the Bultman Center on Friday night at 6 p.m. The following afternoon, John Brown will face its first No. 1 ranked opponent in years – taking on back-to-back national champion, Dordt (Iowa), at noon.
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