WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- A layup from Autumn Moore with four seconds remaining handed Nelson (Texas) a 69-68 victory over the John Brown University women's basketball team in Sooner Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon (Feb. 22) inside Sheaffer Center.
The Golden Eagles (13-14, 11-12 Sooner Athletic) led by one in the final seconds after senior Graci Harris converted a pair at the line to give the Blue and Gold a 68-67 advantage. On the other end, Nelson moved the ball down the court and found Moore cutting inside as the Lions converted the layup with four seconds left, putting the hosts ahead. John Brown had one last opportunity, but the Nelson defense forced a botched inbounds that kept the visitors from attempting a shot before the end of the game.
Freshman Sarah Snodgrass led John Brown with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double, shooting 9-of-19 from the floor, while sophomore Abbey Sanders added 17 points and knocked down five triples. Freshman Riley Gottsponer provided 13 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting, while Harris chipped in eight points and dished out five assists. The Golden Eagles shot 41 percent (24-of-59) from the floor and connected on 12-of-28 from deep (43 percent), but 16 turnovers proved costly, as Nelson capitalized with 15 points off JBU miscues.
Nelson (9-17, 8-15), already eliminated from the upcoming SAC tournament entering the afternoon, was led by Moore's 12 points, including the game-winning basket, while Wendy Clemmons added 16 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists. Kate Miller matched her with 16 points, and Kyla McMinn finished with 10 points and six rebounds.
The hosts shot an impressive 48 percent from three-point range (11-of-23) and took advantage of their opportunities in transition, scoring an incredible 28 points on the fast break.
John Brown started strong, using early triples from freshman Erin Merkel and Sanders to build a 22-17 lead after the first quarter. The Golden Eagles extended the advantage to as many as 9 points (35-26) late in the second quarter, but Nelson responded with back-to-back treys before the intermission as the Blue and Gold failed to score a field goal over the final 4:31 of the quarter.
The second half saw five lead changes, with neither team leading by more than six points. JBU struggled inside, as Nelson outscored the Golden Eagles 16-6 in the paint in the second half and kept the rebounding margin to just one, despite JBU's strong outside shooting.
With under two minutes remaining, Gottsponer completed a three-attempt trip to the line, handing the visitors a 66-62 lead with just 90 seconds remaining. Moore's jumper preceded Clemmons' triple which wipes out the JBU advantage. Harris then drew the foul charging the goal with 25 seconds left, setting up Moore's late-game heroics.
The Lions improved to just 3-12 all-time against John Brown in Waxahachie, and also ended a four-game losing skid to the Blue and Gold dating back to February 2021.
JBU is now locked into the seventh seed in the upcoming SAC tournament and are likely to face Wayland Baptist (Texas) on the road in the quarterfinals.
The Golden Eagles will look to bounce back on Monday evening (Feb. 24) when they travel to face North Texas at Dallas in the regular season finale. The teams are scheduled for a 6 p.m. tipoff, with live coverage available on the SAC Sports Network.
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