SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- A difficult opening quarter proved too much to overcome for the John Brown University women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 13), as the Golden Eagles dropped a 70-56 decision to Science & Arts (Okla.) inside Bill George Arena.
John Brown (5-8, 3-4 Sooner Athletic) managed just seven points in the first quarter and was not able to get its first field goal to drop until the final 18 seconds of the period, when freshman Oaklee Lofton connected from beyond the arc. By then, the Drovers had built a commanding 16-7 lead and finished with a wire-to-wire win.
Sophomore Sarah Snodgrass paced the Golden Eagles, finishing with 30 points and 16 rebounds. She accounted for more than half of JBU's scoring and anchored the Blue and Gold on the glass, while sophomore Abbey Sanders added 12 points as the only other Golden Eagle in double figures.
The double-double was the 10th in 12 games for Snodgrass.
Science & Arts (8-2, 5-1 SAC) carried a 34-24 lead into halftime and continued to control the game despite John Brown's push coming out of the locker room. The Golden Eagles trimmed the deficit to eight points on three separate occasions during the third quarter but were unable to draw closer, as the Drovers answered each surge to keep JBU at bay.
The visitors extended their advantage in the fourth quarter, again shooting 50 percent from the floor. USAO scored 64 points in the paint and received 35 points from its bench, allowing the Drovers to steadily widen the margin after the hosts' third-quarter response.
Ti'Alone Banks and Nyapar Mathot led Science & Arts with 12 points apiece, while Evangelia Davlakou added 10 points and Hannah Harris pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds. The Drovers also capitalized on turnovers, scoring 20 points off 16 JBU miscues and adding 20 fast-break points to maintain pressure throughout the contest.
John Brown finished the afternoon shooting 30 percent from the field (18-of-60) and 7-of-30 from three-point range, while Science & Arts connected at a 45 percent clip (28-of-62).
John Brown will now rest over Christmas break and return to action in the new year. The Blue and Gold will start a three-game road trip on Thursday night (Jan. 8) in Waxahachie against Nelson (Texas) at 6 p.m. The Golden Eagles will then continue on to Texas Wesleyan the following Saturday afternoon for a 2 p.m. tip. Both contests will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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