GOODWELL, Okla. -- The offense had a difficult shooting night in the final quarter of the game, and the John Brown University men's basketball team saw an early second-half advantage slip away as Oklahoma Panhandle State erupted late to claim a 79-62 decision Thursday night (Feb. 5) inside Anchor D Arena.
John Brown (9-13, 6-10 Sooner Athletic) carried a 39-32 lead into the break after shooting efficiently in the opening 20 minutes (46 percent), but Panhandle State flipped the game with sustained second-half shot-making to ends its 12-game skid against the Blue and Gold.
The Golden Eagles opened the game with control on both ends, shooting 45 percent from the field (15-of-33) in the first half while limiting OPSU to 29 percent shooting (9-of-31). JBU led by as many as 11 in the opening period and entered halftime up seven after converting six triples and holding a 23-15 advantage on the glass.
Panhandle responded steadily through the second half, but finished the period 61 percent from the field (17-of-28) and 73 percent from three-point range (8-of-11), outscoring John Brown 47-23 over the final 20 minutes. The shooting surge came as the visitors struggled to string together points, finishing with eight points in the final 8:20 and shooting 3-of-17 overall.
John Brown hit just 25 percent from the field (9-of-36) and 16 percent from beyond the arc (3-of-19) in the second half and, despite balanced scoring and continued effort on the glass, the Blue and Gold were unable to keep pace as Oklahoma Panhandle State converted at a high rate from the perimeter.
OPSU's (4-17, 2-14) offensive surge was led by Christian Campbell, who finished with a game-high 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field, knocking down 4-of-7 from long range and converting 9-of-10 at the free-throw line. Campbell scored at all three levels and accounted for nearly half of the Aggies' total points (44 percent). Mike Carter added 13 points, while Kensington Grant-Brown chipped in eight.
John Brown placed three players in double figures but did not feature a scorer with more than 10 points. Sophomore Carter Carbonell, senior LePra George and senior Donovan Lovelace each scored 10 points, with Carbonell connecting on 2-of-6 from three-point range and George knocking down two triples. Juniors Trae Oetting and Marko Malekinusic added eight points apiece, while freshman Ma'aiki Dauda contributed six off the bench.
The Golden Eagles finished the game shooting 35 percent from the field (24-of-69) and 25 percent from three-point range (9-of-36), while converting 83 percent at the free-throw line (5-of-6). Panhandle State shot 44 percent overall (26-of-59) and 57 percent from beyond the arc (12-of-21), going 88 percent at the line (15-of-17).
The teams finished even on the glass with 38 rebounds apiece, and turnovers were also deadlocked at eight each. John Brown held advantages in bench points (29-16) and second-chance points (15-14).
The Blue and Gold conclude the road trip at Wayland Baptist (Texas) as the Golden Eagles eye a series split with the Pioneers on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 7) inside the Hutcherson Center. The SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network will carry all the action live, slated to begin at 4 p.m.
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