OKLAHOMA CITY -- The John Brown University men's basketball team turned a difficult road start into one of its most disciplined performances of the season, using a sizable first-half rally and a composed final stretch to secure an 87-78 victory at Oklahoma City on Thursday night (Dec. 4) inside Abe Lemons Arena.
The win lifts the Golden Eagles to 6-3 overall and 3-1 in Sooner Athletic play, while the Stars fall to 6-4 and 3-1 in league action.
Junior Donovan Lovelace delivered a season-best 19 points and nine rebounds, and junior Trae Oetting added 15 points and six boards as the Blue and Gold overcame a 19-point first-half deficit and outscored the Stars 51-36 after the break.
Sophomore Carter Carbonell supplied 13 points off the bench, netting nearly half of the JBU reserve production on the night (27 points).
Oklahoma City surged early, building a 34-15 advantage with 6:25 left in the first half. From that point forward, however, the Golden Eagles methodically climbed back.
John Brown closed the half on a 21-8 run, powered by interior finishing from Lovelace, two mid-range scores from Oetting, and a timely jumper from senior Klei Nagode. A late Lovelace free throw trimmed the margin to 42-36 before the break and positioned the visitors to conduct a manageable comeback effort in the second half.
The Golden Eagles carried that momentum forward and converted 54 percent (15-of-28) of its second-half attempts and 17 of its 20 free throws after halftime. Stewart guided the offense with a steady hand, contributing eight points, five assists, and two steals.
After OCU pulled within one, 77-76, on a Jonas Carlisle jumper with 2:47 remaining, John Brown responded with a defensive stretch that clinched the come-from-behind win. The Golden Eagles held the Stars without a field goal for the rest of the night, limiting City to just two points over the final eight possessions.
Senio LePra George split a pair of free throws to extend the lead, and Lovelace followed with a strong finish in the paint to re-establish a two-possession advantage. Stewart then added a mid-range jumper with 1:46 left, pushing the margin to six. In the final minute, Oetting and Lovelace combined to go 5-for-6 at the line, securing the result as JBU closed the contest on a 10-2 run.
"Tonight said a lot about our guys," head coach Jason Beschta admitted after his team's third-straight league victory. "We got in a big hole in the first half as we struggled to score while OCU was making shot after shot, but how we handled it speaks volumes about our team. Rather than allowing frustrations to pull us apart and unravel, we leaned in together, continued to believe in each other and focused on battling one possession at a time ... and ultimately it put us in a position at halftime to get back into the game.
"OCU is a really good team, and I was proud of how we stayed aggressive and made a lot of effort plays throughout."
The visitors finished 27-of-32 from the stripe (84 percent) and held a 45-37 rebounding advantage, producing 19 second-chance points. Oklahoma City shot 50 percent in the first half but was held to 34 percent (13-of-38) in the second, unable to regain traction once the Golden Eagles adjusted at the break.
The Blue and Gold will travel to Bethany, Okla. on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 6) to face Southwestern Christian (Okla.) at 4 p.m. The tilt is slated to be carried live on the SAC Sports Network and the Urbane Edge Network concurrently.
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