SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University women's basketball team produced another comeback performance on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 22), using a second-quarter response and hot start to the third to secure a 66-53 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle State inside Bill George Arena.
Sophomore Sarah Snodgrass anchored the effort with 21 points and 12 rebounds, collecting her sixth double-double of the year. Sophomore Caelyn Ferguson added 18 points and four assists as John Brown (4-4, 2-0 Sooner Athletic) overcame an early eight-point deficit.
Trailing 19-17 with under five minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Blue and Gold steadied its offense and began a run that would flip the afternoon in favor of the Golden Eagles – for good.
Junior Abbey Sanders sparked the sequence with a triple that returned the lead to the Golden Eagles, and her layup on the following possession extended the advantage to 22-19.
Snodgrass then added two free throws, and the duo of Ferguson and Snodgrass combined for three late-period field goals that widened the gap. Sanders assisted on the final basket of the half, a Snodgrass layup at the horn – sending John Brown into halftime with a 32-23 lead after outscoring the Aggies 20-6 in the quarter.
The hosts sustained that pressure into the third. Ferguson opened the half with two free throws, and following an OPSU basket, Snodgrass connected on a three off a Ferguson pass to restore a double-digit lead. Two more Snodgrass free throws and a Ferguson bucket in the pain at 7:25 capped a 9-2 start to the quarter, stretching the advantage to 41-25.
In total, John Brown assembled a 24-6 run from the late stages of the second quarter through the early minutes of the third, transforming a two-point deficit into a 16-point lead.
JBU finished the afternoon shooting 49 percent from the field (24-of-49) and 9-of-24 from long range (38 percent), pairing its shooting success with a plus-14 rebounding margin highlighted by Snodgrass' 12 boards and six each from Sanders, freshman Tayla Trammell and junior Hannah McLain. The Golden Eagles assisted on 21 of their 24 made field goals and built a game-high 23-point lead midway through the final quarter.
Panhandle State (3-4, 0-2) received 20 points from Tryssa Dowd but finished 2-of-9 from beyond the arc and struggled on the boards as the hosts out-rebounded the Aggies by a 42-28 margin. Although the hosts committed 23 giveaways, the damage was minimal as JBU limited the Aggies to 15 points off turnovers and controlling most half-court sequences.
John Brown continues conference play next week, returning to action against College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 25) before Thanksgiving break. The 4 p.m. tip is slated to be carried live on the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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