Box Score SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University men's basketball team traded punches with Central Baptist (Ark.) through 11 ties and 10 lead changes, but the Mustangs used timely free throws down the stretch to hand the Golden Eagles a 76-70 setback on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 15) inside Bill George Arena.
The Golden Eagles (3-2) knocked down 13 three-pointers and held a 41-30 advantage on the glass, but Central Baptist (2-4) shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from the field and 10-of-23 from beyond the arc, riding a season-best performance from Jason Hunt, who poured in 34 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field.
The teams played to a 37-37 deadlock at halftime behind strong perimeter play. Central Baptist opened the afternoon hitting 52 percent from the field as Hunt erupted for 23 first-half points, knocking down four triples before the break. MacArthur Reed Jr. added seven points, and the Mustangs connected on six from long range.
John Brown answered with eight first-half threes of its own. Senior LePra George finished the frame with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep, while junior Trae Oetting added eight points behind a pair of triples. Sophomore Carter Carbonell provided six points off the bench, and senior Donovan Lovelace supplied seven points and five boards to help JBU post a 16-13 edge on the glass.
Central Baptist grabbed momentum early in the second half, shooting 46 percent (13-of-28) over the final 20 minutes and adding four more three-pointers. Reed scored 10 points after the break while forward Dalton Alexander III anchored the interior with six of his ten rebounds coming in the second half. CBC turned the ball over just three times in the final 20 minutes.
The Golden Eagles briefly reclaimed the lead with 5:14 remaining when Carbonell drilled a right-wing three off a George assist to go up 62-60. CBC answered immediately as Hunt connected on a jumper, and after a JBU turnover, Caleb Knight converted two free throws to push the Mustangs back in front for good. Hunt extended the margin to 68-60 with another jumper at the 4:04 mark.
Lovelace responded with a second-chance finish on the next trip, and JBU produced back-to-back defensive stops but came up empty on its next two possessions. Stewart's deep three with 1:22 remaining pulled the Golden Eagles within 70-65, but Reed answered with a three on the ensuing trip to restore an eight-point cushion.
JBU generated four consecutive offensive rebounds on the following possession but couldn't hit from distance, and Lovelace's pair of free throws with 23 seconds remaining trimmed the deficit to six. Oetting buried his fourth three of the afternoon with 10 seconds left to make it 75-70, but a split at the line on CBC's final possession kept the six-point margin. A contested three from Carbonell at the horn missed wide, and the Mustangs won for the first time ever inside Bill George Arena.
Lovelace led JBU after halftime with 10 second-half points and closed with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Oetting finished with 13 points, George added 11 on the strength of his early threes, and Stewart distributed seven assists. Carbonell hit three triples to total nine points, while Maliq Sosa chipped in five off the bench.
John Brown shot a season-low 37 percent (25-of-67) from the field and 13-of-42 from long range while holding the visitors to six offensive boards – a season-best mark. The Mustangs finished 16-of-21 (76 percent) from the stripe and committed just nine turnovers.
The Blue and Gold will now turn its attention to conference play as it will welcome Wayland Baptist (Texas) to Bill George Arena on Thursday night for an 8 p.m. tip. The clash will be simulcast live on the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
