SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University men's basketball team delivered another commanding performance Thursday night (Nov. 6), racing past Arkansas Baptist 94-41 inside Bill George Arena to cap a stretch of three games in six days to open the 2025-26 season.
The Golden Eagles (3-0) never trailed, shooting 48 percent (29-of-61) from the field and 57 percent (16-of-28) from long range while limiting the visiting Buffaloes to just 21 percent overall and 1-of-19 from behind the arc. JBU dominated the glass with a 60-29 rebounding advantage, including 15 offensive boards that produced 14 second-chance points.
Junior Trae Oetting powered the attack with 21 points and 12 rebounds for his first double-double of the season, hitting 8-of-13 from the floor. Senior Donovan Lovelace added a season-best 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting and connected on all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. Junior Marko Malekinusic chipped in 10 points, while sophomore Carter Carbonell scored 11 off the bench with four assists. Senior Connor Kern pulled down eight rebounds in 13 minutes as the Golden Eagles outrebounded Arkansas Baptist by 31.
After a quiet opening few minutes, the Blue and Gold ignited an 18-2 run over a four-minute stretch to seize control early. Oetting scored 10 points in the surge and Lovelace added eight, as the duo combined to shoot a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. The outburst stretched a slim 8-5 advantage into a 26-7 lead, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
The Golden Eagles couldn't miss in the first half, shooting 63 percent (19-of-30) from the field and 69 percent from long range (9-of-13). The offense built a 59-21 halftime cushion, holding the Buffaloes to seven made field goals and forcing eight turnovers before the break.
John Brown cooled slightly after halftime but continued to control every phase, shooting 50 percent from three in the second period and extending the margin to as many as 59 points, 94-35, with 3:22 remaining. Eleven players scored, and all 13 saw at least five minutes of action as the home bench contributed 36 points.
Arkansas Baptist (1-2) was led by Ty'reon King, who finished with eight points and five rebounds. Sherod Dent added six points, while the Buffaloes collected 10 offensive rebounds and recorded 15 steals despite shooting just 21 percent from the floor.
Through three games, John Brown is averaging 100.0 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 42 percent from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles are outscoring opponents by 42 points per contest and own a plus-24 rebounding margin, while assisting on 51 percent of its field goals and shooting nearly 79 percent at the line.
Oetting leads the team in scoring at 18.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, followed by Lovelace at 15.0 points on 55 percent shooting and Carbonell at 11.0 points per game off the bench. Malekinusic and freshman Maliq Sosa are each averaging 10.3 points, giving JBU five double-figure scorers through the first week of the campaign.
The Golden Eagles now turn to exhibition action on Saturday evening (Nov. 8) when it takes on NCAA I Oral Roberts (Okla.) inside the Mabee Center at 7:05 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Summit League Network.
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