SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- A record-book shooting performance propelled the John Brown University men's basketball team to its first 4-0 in seven seasons, as the Golden Eagles buried 20 three-pointers in a 116-65 victory over Ozark Christian (Mo.) Tuesday evening (Nov. 3) inside Bill George Arena.

The Golden Eagles (4-0) connected on 12 triples before halftime and added eight more after the break, tying the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. The long-range barrage fueled John Brown's highest-scoring performance since a 125-point outing against Barclay (Kan.) on Oct. 28, 2022, as the Blue and Gold shot 57.9 percent from the floor and led by as many as 57 points.

Six Golden Eagles reached double figures, 14 players entered the scoring column and nine different players connected from beyond the arc. John Brown's reserves accounted for 61 points, outscoring the starting unit, while the hosts distributed 31 assists on 44 made field goals and converted 20 Ozark Christian turnovers into 34 points.

Freshman Samuel Hinsey led all scorers with 16 points in just 17 minutes off the bench, connecting on 6-of-8 attempts from the field and 4-of-6 from downtown while adding four assists and four rebounds. The first-year guard scored 11 points during a 64-point opening half and later knocked down JBU's 20th triple with 2:56 remaining.

Junior Patrick Odingo and senior Marko Malekinusic supplied 13 points apiece, each connecting on three triples. Odingo added four assists, while Malekinusic pulled down five rebounds as the duo combined for six of the Golden Eagles' 20 makes from beyond the arc.

Sophomore Jack Ullom turned in a perfect shooting performance, scoring 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including two triples, while adding three assists and a game-high-tying three steals. Junior Raziel Taylor contributed 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting with three makes from long range and four assists without a turnover, while senior Trae Oetting rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and four rebounds.

Senior Jay Baxter added eight points, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot, while sophomores Maliq Sosa and Ma'aiki Dauda chipped in eight points apiece. No Golden Eagle played more than 18 minutes as John Brown utilized its depth throughout the contest.

The Golden Eagles set the tone immediately, opening with an Odingo putback and a Baxter triple to build a 5-0 advantage. Malekinusic and Taylor soon connected from downtown before senior Judah Simfukwe converted a steal into a bucket, pushing the hosts ahead 17-8 with 16:22 remaining in the opening half.

Hinsey entered the scoring column with a triple at the 15:56 mark, extending the lead to double digits for the first time, 20-10. The Ambassadors answered with six of the next eight points to pull within 22-16, but the Golden Eagles quickly shifted into another gear.

Odingo and Hinsey knocked down consecutive triples before Dauda joined the long-range attack. Simfukwe and Sosa then supplied buckets in the paint, completing a 13-2 surge that stretched John Brown's advantage to 35-18 with 10:02 remaining.

Ozark Christian briefly responded, trimming the margin to 37-26 on Brayden Chandler's third triple of the evening with 8:19 left before the interval. However, the Golden Eagles continued to generate open looks from the perimeter while capitalizing on turnovers.

Odingo connected on his second triple of the half before Baxter converted a steal into a bucket and Malekinusic knocked down another three-pointer to make it 53-33 with 4:51 remaining. Odingo followed with a steal and a finish, while Oetting and Taylor connected from long range to extend the advantage to 61-35.

Hinsey provided the final JBU triple of the opening period with 59 seconds remaining, giving the hosts a 64-37 lead before a late Trey Main basket sent the teams into halftime separated by 25 points, 64-39.

John Brown's first-half efficiency was particularly sharp, as the Golden Eagles connected on 65.8 percent (25-of-38) of their field-goal attempts, including 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from beyond the arc. Seven different JBU players contributed to the first-half three-point total.

The Blue and Gold showed no signs of slowing after the break, opening the second half with eight unanswered points. Baxter and Odingo knocked down consecutive triples before Taylor converted in transition to push the lead to 72-39 with 17:55 remaining.

The Golden Eagles later assembled another 10-0 surge, beginning with a Rogers bucket before Malekinusic connected from downtown and Oetting converted three free throws around another Malekinusic finish. The run pushed John Brown ahead 86-44 with 12:18 to play.

With the margin continuing to grow, JBU put together one of its most efficient offensive stretches of the evening. Beginning with a Hinsey second-chance bucket at the 9:53 mark, the Golden Eagles scored on five consecutive possessions while holding Ozark Christian scoreless on four trips down the floor. The Ambassadors committed two turnovers and missed all four field-goal attempts during the sequence.

Sosa supplied two free throws before Ullom took over, knocking down consecutive triples and adding a finish in the paint to account for the final eight points of the 12-0 run. Ullom's bucket with 7:59 remaining gave John Brown its largest advantage of the night, 105-48.

With the outcome firmly in hand, the Golden Eagles continued to share opportunities throughout the closing minutes. Freshman Adam Stanton added a second-chance bucket before freshman Judah Louderback connected from long range with 3:43 remaining.

Hinsey then supplied the milestone basket, burying his fourth triple of the evening with 2:56 to play to give JBU its 20th three-pointer and a 114-58 advantage. Dauda added the Golden Eagles' final bucket just over a minute later, while Ozark Christian scored the game's last five points to establish the 116-65 final.

John Brown finished 44-of-76 (57.9 percent) from the field and 20-of-39 (51.3 percent) from three-point range, compared to Ozark Christian's 41.0 percent (25-of-61) overall and 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from downtown. The Golden Eagles converted 8-of-11 free-throw attempts, while the Ambassadors finished 9-of-10 at the stripe.

The Blue and Gold controlled the glass by a 41-28 margin, including a 14-9 advantage on the offensive boards, while outscoring Ozark Christian 53-39 in the paint and 18-4 in second-chance opportunities. John Brown also held a 24-8 edge in fast-break scoring and a 61-24 advantage in bench production.

JBU's 13 steals helped produce a 34-13 disparity in points off turnovers, while the Golden Eagles finished with 31 assists against 11 turnovers. Ozark Christian recorded 18 assists but committed 20 turnovers, with 10 coming in each half.

Main paced the Ambassadors with 12 points, while Chandler added 11 points on three triples and Curtis Davenport finished with 10. Ty Cloud collected a game-high 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.

John Brown will look to extend its unbeaten start Monday morning (Nov. 9) when the Golden Eagles host Central Methodist (Mo.) at 11 a.m. inside Bill George Arena. The non-conference contest will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.

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