COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The John Brown University men's basketball team controlled the opening ten minutes and briefly reclaimed momentum early in the second half, but Columbia (Mo.) seized command with decisive runs on either side of halftime to pull away for an 84-71 nonconference decision Saturday afternoon (Jan. 3) inside the Southwell Complex.
The Golden Eagles (8-5) dictated the pace through the first 10:42 of action, building an 11-point lead while holding Columbia to four field goals on 17 attempts. JBU led 20-9 during the opening stretch before the Cougars answered with a 21-8 run over the remainder of the first half to take a 30-28 advantage into the break.
Columbia's surge began at the 9:18 mark of the first half, as JBU struggled to find rhythm offensively while the Cougars increased their defensive pressure. During that span, John Brown went 3-of-13 from the floor with four turnovers, allowing Columbia to flip the game's momentum before the intermission.
John Brown responded coming out of the locker room, regaining the lead just under three minutes into the second half. Senior Donovan Lovelace knocked down a three-pointer at the 17:10 mark to give the Golden Eagles a 37-36 edge, and JBU extended the margin to five shortly thereafter following a Marko Malekinusic layup and free throw and a LePra George free throw, pushing the score to 41-36 with 16:09 remaining.
That surge was met with an immediate response from Columbia. The Cougars seized control with a game-clinching 23-7 run over the next 5:52, shooting efficiently while committing no turnovers during the stretch. Columbia would not trail again.
Despite the outcome, the Blue and Gold showed offensive balance throughout the afternoon, recording 12 assists on 26 made field goals and outrebounded Columbia 47-33, producing a 17-4 advantage in second-chance points. The Golden Eagles scored 28 points in the paint and received 11 points from the bench, led by senior Connor Kern's eight points in 14 minutes of action.
Lovelace led JBU with 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including three triples. Junior Trae Oetting added 14 points and eight rebounds, while senior Josh Stewart finished with 11 points and five assists. Malekinusic contributed nine points and seven rebounds.
Columbia (13-2) finished the game shooting 46 percent (26-of-57) from the floor and 82 percent at the free throw line (27-of-33), attempting 15 more free throws than the visitors. John Brown shot 39 percent overall (26-of-67) and 25 percent from beyond the arc (8-of-32). Columbia turned 15 JBU turnovers into 22 points and scored 40 points in the paint.
CC was led by Jemeal Goines with 21 points and six rebounds, while Caleb Jones added 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting. AJ Walker netted 11 points and Adam Sausele finished with 10 points to round out four Cougars in double-digit scoring.
John Brown falls to 0-5 on the season when shooting below 45 percent and remains unbeaten (8-0) when hitting more than 45 percent of its field goals.
With the nonconference slate now closed for the season, the Blue and Gold return to Sooner Athletic action with a three-game road trip beginning in Dallas-Ft. Worth. JBU will take on Nelson (Texas) at 8 p.m. on Thursday night (Jan. 8) before facing Texas Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. Both contest will be carried live by the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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