ATCHISON, Kan. -- Junior Sarah Snodgrass delivered game highs of 24 points and 17 rebounds, and senior Abbey Sanders knocked down five three-pointers as the John Brown University women's basketball team held off Mission (Mo.), 71-68, Friday evening (Nov. 6) in the opening game of the Holiday Inn Express Classic, hosted by Benedictine College inside Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
The Golden Eagles (3-0) erased a two-point halftime deficit by connecting on all five of their third-quarter three-point attempts, turning a 32-30 Mission advantage into a 51-47 lead entering the final period. John Brown eventually stretched its cushion to six, but the Patriots (1-3) rallied within a single point with 37 seconds remaining before the Blue and Gold made enough plays down the stretch to preserve its unbeaten start.
Four Golden Eagles reached double figures, with Snodgrass and Sanders combining for 41 points. JBU connected on 10 triples overall, including eight from Sanders and junior Katelyn Harviston, while its defense forced 19 turnovers and produced four blocked shots. The victory also came despite Mission holding narrow advantages in rebounding and points in the paint.
Snodgrass finished 8-of-22 from the field and converted 8-of-10 free throws, collecting five offensive rebounds and 12 defensive boards in 39 minutes. Her 17 rebounds were eight more than any other player on the floor, while her 24 points surpassed Mission's leading scorer, Ireland Jones, who finished with 20.
Sanders supplied 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting, with all five field goals coming from beyond the arc. The senior connected on 5-of-9 three-point attempts, dished out a game-high seven assists and added five rebounds while committing just one turnover in 38 minutes.
Harviston contributed 12 points behind three triples, pulled down four rebounds and rejected a game-high three shots. Freshman Reese Thornton rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting and nine rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Freshman Ira Trontelj added five points and five assists, while junior Lilli Mindeman added three points off the bench.
The Golden Eagles initially seized control with their perimeter attack, overcoming an early Mission bucket with a Harviston triple and a Sanders three-pointer on consecutive scoring possessions. Thornton followed with a finish in the paint, and Snodgrass added a basket to complete a 10-0 response that gave JBU a 10-2 lead with 5:37 remaining in the opening quarter.
Mission gradually worked its way back, using a Miya Nieto triple to pull within 10-9 with 2:07 remaining. Snodgrass helped steady the Blue and Gold, adding points at the foul line before collecting an offensive rebound and converting a putback in the final seconds to give John Brown a 15-12 advantage after one.
The Patriots immediately erased that margin, with Nieto connecting from downtown on the opening possession of the second quarter before Gentry Davault converted inside to give Mission a 17-15 lead.
Sanders answered from long range to restore JBU's advantage, but the teams continued to trade the lead through the middle of the period. Thornton provided a second-chance bucket, while Snodgrass scored twice in the paint and added a free throw to push the Golden Eagles ahead 25-21 with 6:13 remaining.
Mission responded with four consecutive points to tie the contest at 25, and Sanders connected on her third triple of the half to put John Brown back in front, 28-25, at the 4:38 mark.
However, the Patriots' offensive rebounding created additional opportunities during the closing minutes. Kylee Cole knocked down a second-chance triple with 1:28 remaining to give Mission a 30-28 advantage, and although Snodgrass answered with a putback to even the score, two late AJ Person free throws sent the Patriots into halftime leading 32-30.
John Brown struggled to find its offensive rhythm during the second quarter, shooting 33.3 percent (6-of-18) from the field while committing five turnovers. Mission also collected six offensive rebounds in the period, helping the Patriots overcome JBU's early advantage.
The Golden Eagles' response after intermission was immediate. Harviston buried a triple just 16 seconds into the third quarter to reclaim the lead, and Sanders found her again for another three-pointer on JBU's following possession. After a Mission miss and a turnover, Harviston returned the favor, setting up Sanders for a third consecutive Golden Eagle triple that completed a 9-0 run and pushed John Brown ahead 39-32 with 8:13 remaining.
The opening surge held Mission scoreless on three possessions, with the Patriots missing two field-goal attempts and committing a turnover. At the other end, JBU connected on three of its first four shots, all from beyond the arc.
Mission answered with a Jones triple, but Sanders continued her impressive perimeter performance, connecting again from downtown to restore a seven-point cushion, 42-35, with 6:31 remaining.
The Patriots trimmed the deficit to five on several occasions, including a Jones basket that made it 46-41 with 3:08 left in the period. Thornton answered with a finish in the paint, and after Mission again pulled within four, Mindeman knocked down a triple in the final minute to give John Brown a 51-44 advantage.
Naomi Daugherty scored inside on the ensuing possession, and Mission entered the final quarter trailing 51-47.
JBU finished the third period a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range, scoring 21 points while limiting the Patriots to 15. The Golden Eagles distributed seven assists on seven made field goals in the quarter, their crisp ball movement providing the difference after a difficult opening half.
The final 10 minutes developed into a possession-by-possession battle.
Mission opened the fourth quarter with a Daugherty basket to trim the deficit to two, but Snodgrass answered with two free throws and another finish in the paint. Thornton later scored on consecutive possessions, the second following a Snodgrass steal, to give the Golden Eagles a 59-53 lead with 5:27 remaining.
The Patriots refused to go away, using a Person triple and a three-point play from Tara Masten to pull within 61-59 with 4:37 left.
After a difficult stretch in which John Brown came away empty despite several offensive rebounds, Snodgrass delivered a much-needed bucket at the 3:14 mark to restore a four-point advantage.
Mission answered with a Capri Garrett putback, but Trontelj connected from beyond the arc with 2:16 remaining, stretching the lead to 66-61. Masten responded with a basket, and the Patriots continued to apply pressure as the clock moved inside the final two minutes.
A Harviston free throw gave John Brown a 67-63 advantage with 46 seconds remaining, but Jones converted a basket through contact and completed the three-point play to cut the deficit to 67-66 with 37 seconds left.
The Golden Eagles missed two free throws on their next trip, giving Mission an opportunity to take the lead. However, the Patriots committed a foul with 23 seconds remaining, sending Harviston to the line, where the junior calmly sank both attempts to push the lead back to three, 69-66.
Mission committed a turnover with 16 seconds remaining, and Sanders added a free throw to extend the cushion to four. Nieto subsequently converted two of three free throws with two seconds on the clock, cutting the margin to 70-68, but Sanders knocked down another attempt at the stripe to establish the 71-68 final.
John Brown finished 40.0 percent (24-of-60) from the field and 43.5 percent (10-of-23) from three-point range, compared to Mission's 40.6 percent (26-of-64) overall and 22.7 percent (5-of-22) from downtown. The Golden Eagles converted 13-of-20 free throws, while the Patriots finished 11-of-13 at the stripe.
Mission held a 39-38 rebounding advantage, including a 13-13 split on the offensive glass, and outscored JBU 38-28 in the paint and 16-13 in second-chance points. John Brown responded with 18 assists to Mission's 13, converted 19 Patriot turnovers into 16 points and recorded four blocks to the Patriots' three.
Jones paced Mission with 20 points, three assists and three rebounds, while Nieto supplied 11 points and Davault added 10 points with a team-high nine rebounds. The Patriots received 24 points from their bench compared to three for JBU.
John Brown concludes its two-game stay at the Holiday Inn Express Classic Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7), facing Evangel (Mo.) at noon inside Ralph Nolan Gymnasium in another neutral-site matchup. The contest will be carried live via the KCAC Network.
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