WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- The John Brown University men's basketball team struggled to find offensive rhythm from the opening tip as No. 12 Nelson (Texas) controlled the game wire to wire in an 81-66 setback Thursday night (Jan. 8) inside the Sheaffer Center.
Senior Donovan Lovelace led the Golden Eagles (8-6, 5-3 Sooner Athletic) with 14 points, converting 9-of-12 at the free throw line while pulling down 10 rebounds for a double-double effort. Junior Trae Oetting added 10 points, knocking down two triples, while freshman Maliq Sosa contributed nine points off the bench in the loss.
Nelson set the tone early, shooting 48 percent in the first half (14-of-29) while holding JBU to 25 percent shooting (7-of-28) over the opening 20 minutes, building a 40-27 lead at the break.
John Brown's offensive struggles were compounded by turnovers, as the Blue and Gold committed 13 giveaways in the first half that fueled Nelson's transition game. The Lions converted those miscues into early points and consistently played downhill, scoring 16 fast-break points on the night, 10 in the first half alone.
The Lions (12-2, 7-1) continued to maintain separation in the second half, briefly stretching the margin to its largest at 22 points late in the game.
John Brown showed more offensive activity after halftime, shooting 9-of-29 from the floor in the second half and working to the charity stripe. However, JBU could only convert 17-of-26 from the line in the second half.
Nelson was led by Micah Clark, who scored 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Trelin Green added 16 points while handing out 10 assists and recording six steals, while the Lions also had Jesse Iweze score 10 points on a perfect 3-of-3 shooting night. Brionne Williams added nine off the bench.
For the game, Nelson shot 49 percent from the floor (27-of-55) and 27 percent from three-point range while converting 20-of-27 at the free-throw line. The Blue and Gold finished at 28 percent from the floor (16-of-57) and 21 percent from beyond the arc.
The hosts scored 25 points off turnovers and outscored JBU 34-16 in the paint, while John Brown held a 37-29 rebounding advantage and received 29 points from its bench.
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