Both are ranked in the top 20 of the second regular season edition of the poll for the 2016-2017 season.

The Scots fell a spot in the rankings to No. 9, switching places with Oklahoma City. Lyon (11-2) split games last week, losing to undefeated and top-ranked Freed-Hardeman and then beating Williams Baptist on New Year’s Eve.

Lyon travels to Central Bapitst on Tuesday and hosts Hannibal-LaGrange on Thursday.

John Brown moved up two places to No. 18 in the poll. The Lady Eagle (9-4) have won three straight, but haven’t played since defeating Ecclesia, 96-42, on Dec. 8.

JBU gets back into conference play hosting Southwestern Christian on Thursday and then traveling to Wayland Baptist on Saturday.

Complete poll:

Dropped from the Top 25: none

Others receiving votes: Montana Western 40; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 39; Talladega (Ala.) 33; Biola (Calif.) 19; Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) 8; Wiley (Texas) 8; William Penn (Iowa) 8; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 6; William Woods (Mo.) 6; Xavier (La.) 4.

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Lyon moved up one spot from its preseason position to No. 8. The Scots have won seven straight after a season-opening double overtime loss to College of the Ozarks.

John Brown was on the outside looking in for the preseason poll, but have moved into the top 20 at No. 20. The Lady Eagles are 8-4 overall, with the most recent win being a record-setting 124-51 victory over Crowley’s Ridge.

Complete poll:

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SHAWNEE, Okla. — The John Brown University women’s basketball team opened with a 60 percent shooting effort and 32 points in the first quarter and built a game-high 44-point second half lead to run away with a 97-55 win over St. Gregory’s (Okla.) on Saturday (Dec. 3) afternoon inside the Sumner Field House.

Sophomore Baily Cameron poured in a game-high 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting and the Golden Eagles (7-4, 1-1 Sooner Athletic) shot 38-of-66 from the field to earn its first conference win of the season. Sophomore Preslea Reece rebounded from Thursday’s outing with 19 points and nine rebounds, marking a season-best point production.

Featuring four players in double-digit scoring, senior Kodie Powell and junior Kimmy Deines each added 14 points apiece. The guards distributed the ball well as Powell passed out a season-high eight dimes while Deines posted six helpers, also a season-best.

“I thought we came out and played really good defense in the first quarter,” said head coach Jeff Soderquist. “When we guard like that, I think we have a chance of being a really good team.”

The Cavaliers (2-7, 0-2) took its only lead of the game at 4-0, which was quickly countered by a 13-0 JBU run over the next 2:50. The hosts hit just 38.5 percent of its shots in the first quarter, while the Golden Eagles poured 32 points en route to netting 20 points or more in each of the four quarters.

Although the Cavaliers held a 39-30 rebounding advantage, John Brown dominated the paint to the tune of 38-22 and turned 26 SGU turnovers into 27 points. Despite committing 14 miscues of its own, the visitors held the Cavs to just nine points as a result.

The Golden Eagles again relied on its nation-leading three-point shooting and hit 13-of-28 from behind the arc (46.4 percent), led by four from Powell and a perfect 3-of-3 effort from junior Rosa Orpo. Deines hit a pair while four others hit at least one from downtown.

Shanques Garrett led all Cavaliers with 18 points, hitting a perfect eight chances at the charity stripe. Kylee Tatum added 12 points on a 3-of-17 mark from the floor in the losing effort.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Monday (Dec. 5) in non-conference play when JBU hosts new NAIA members Crowley’s Ridge (Ark.) in a 7 p.m. showdown inside Bill George Arena.

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SILOAM SPRINGS – The John Brown University men’s basketball team held College of the Ozarks (Mo.) to just 27.3 percent from the field in the second half and forced nine turnovers en route to a 71-59 upset of the Bobcats on Thursday evening inside Bill George Arena.

The defensive pressure in the second half allowed C of O a mere 6-of-22 mark from the field over the final 20 minutes, while the Golden Eagles (5-2) earned its fourth-straight win by shooting 42.9 percent (12-of-28) in the final period, hitting 13-of-16 from the line to seal the victory.

Down by four at the half, 35-31, JBU stayed within three points through the first 2:35 of the stanza until sophomore Benjamin Smith drained a triple from the wing, three of his career-high 19 points, before hitting a second-straight trey to give the Golden Eagles its first lead of the contest.

Sophomore Josh Bowling hit a shot in the post at the 15:37 mark, extending the hosts’ lead to five, 47-42, but the teams continued to battle through the stretch never separated by more than four points. Just past the halfway point, the Bobcats’ DeMon Hyler converted a pair at the line, forcing the game’s fourth and final tie.

It wasn’t until 5:39 remaining in the game did JBU break away. Bowling started the run with a pair at the line and the lead grew to seven, 62-55, when senior Ricky Roberts hit a layup in the post from sophomore Marquis Waller. The teams traded free throws throughout the final minutes, but a final Roberts fast-break layup from Bowling pushed the margin to double-digits, 69-59. Waller sealed the matchup with two free throws with 41 seconds remaining.

Over the final six minutes of regulation, Ozarks went 0-of-6 from the floor and committed a trio of turnovers, which marked the defensive turning point in the game. The Bobcats’ Cameron Paschke, who poured in a game-high 22 points, scored only four over the final six minutes, all from the charity stripe.

“Our second-half defensive effort is what really stood out to me,” said head coach Jason Beschta. “They execute their offense really well. Our ability to find each other in the second half really helped. Ricky (Roberts) responded in the second half with four assists and no turnovers really helped set the tone.

“We had a lot of contributions tonight. Ben (Smith) hit a lot of big shots for us. We kept our turnovers down, and I think this was our best overall performance of the year so far. And to do it against a good team means a lot.”

Smith finished the game 7-of-12 from the field and grabbed seven boards while Roberts poured in 16 points on a 6-of-13 mark from the floor and dished out a game-best five assists.

Paschke’s 22 points came on a 5-of-16 effort, but also included a 1-of-6 mark in the second half. Kiefer Starbird added 12 points on an efficient 6-of-9 mark from the floor, while grabbing a game-best eight rebounds, helping the Bobcats (5-3) to a slim 36-35 rebounding advantage.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday (Nov. 19) in Little Rock, Ark., when John Brown faces an always talented Philander Smith (Ark.) at 4 p.m.

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SILOAM SPRINGS – The top Golden Eagle scorers came through in the second half for a pair of goals, fueling the No. 14 and top-seeded John Brown University women’s soccer team to a 2-0 win over third-seeded Science & Arts (Okla.) in the Sooner Athletic tournament finals on Friday evening at Alumni Field.

With the victory, the Golden Eagles (18-1-1) not only earn its first tournament crown since 2013, but secure its fourth-ever spot in the NAIA National Championships. The national selection show will take place on Monday morning.

“That was an awesome team win,” head coach Kathleen Paulsen said. “The things we’ve been working on all year, we executed it. It’s rewarding when we get to do something like this together. It gives us a sense of unity. This is a really special group.

“I couldn’t be more proud. What they accomplished together is bigger than wins and losses, it’s together, seeking to honor God in the way they approach the game. We are looking forward to another game and another opportunity.”

The win for John Brown was its 14th-consecutive win, continuing a program-record winning streak. Last season, the Golden Eagles fell in penalty kicks at Science & Arts in the title game in Chickasha, ending JBU’s hopes of making the National Championships.

Paulsen has now guided the Golden Eagles to four-consecutive tournament title matches and now sports a 1-1-2 mark in the SAC’s biggest game of the season.

Sophomores Aspen Robinson and Jastin Redman each tallied their 18th goals of the season just two minutes apart in the second half, and senior Kristen Morency didn’t need to make a save the entire match as the JBU back line held the Drovers (12-8-1) to just one shot attempt, which came late in the 82nd minute.

The hosts out-shot the Drovers 12-0 in the first half, but only landed three shots on frame, including senior Sara Lachance’s blast in the 31st minute, prompting USAO keeper Brandi Hutchison to make a leaping save falling back into the goal, tipping the shot over the crossbar to preserve the 0-0 deadlock.

Finally, on its 17th shot of the game, Robinson unleashed her 18th of the season and sixth game-winner in the 55th minute. Junior Sara Frey intercepted a loose ball in the midfield and quickly counter-attacked by slotting the ball through to Robinson. Robinson turned and let go a 35-yard bomb that beat Hutchison just under the crossbar.

Finally, with the ice broken, JBU needed just two more minutes before notching the insurance goal.

With the ball bouncing around the USAO goalmouth, Redman’s initial point-blank shot was stopped by Hutchison and a Drover defender was able to block sophomore Anna Brown’s put-back attempt a moment later. The Golden Eagles needed a third attempt, and with Redman crashing the goal, she buried her 18th of the year, all but assuring victory.

“It was a scrappy goal, but I was able to finally shoot it in the goal,” Redman said. “Finally.”

The Drovers did not register a scoring chance in the match as Morency landed her 11the shutout of the season.

“We’re happy with that win,” Robinson said. “Like Coach (Paulsen) said, it was a team victory.”

Robinson finished the match with eight shot attempts while Redman peppered six towards the Drover net. Sophomore Melody Hagen added three shots and Lachance attempted two more.

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SILOAM SPRINGS – The first goal came quickly, but the insurance goal did not, as the No. 16 and top-seeded John Brown University women’s soccer team battled the elements and fourth-seeded St. Gregory’s (Okla.), finally landing a 2-0 victory and a trip to the Sooner Athletic tournament championship game on Monday evening at Alumni Field.

Sophomore Jastin Redman recorded goals in the sixth and 85th minutes, providing an early game winner and a late insurance marker, propelling the Golden Eagles (17-1-1) to its fourth-consecutive championship game.

In the other semifinal, third-seeded Science & Arts knocked off favorites second-seeded Texas Wesleyan, 1-0, on a late goal by Shannon Greenway in a scramble in front of the goal.

The matchup with the Drovers (12-7-1) will come as a rematch of the 2015 edition, however, the venue will change. Last season, despite Melody Hagen’s goal late in the regulation to tie the match at one, JBU dropped a penalty kick decision at Drover Pitch.

In tonight’s match, upstart St. Gregory’s (10-8-0) produced the first scoring chance just moments into the game as the JBU back line was adjusting to the slick surface. After the ball skipped past the defense, Abi Housecroft let go a shot that mandated senior Kristen Morency make an early-match save, helping set the tone.

After the initial save by Morency, the Golden Eagle back line did not allow another Cavalier shot attempt as the hosts maintained ball possession for the remainder of the contest, but also had to battle the constant rain that refused to leave Alumni Field.

John Brown capitalized early however, when sophomore Anna Brown’s centering pass found Redman at the doorstep of the SGU goal. After fighting off her defender, Redman calmly deposited the game winner, her 16th of the year, just 5:02 into the match past keeper Jena Flewelling.

If a 7-1 shooting margin wasn’t enough before the half, the Golden Eagles came out and posted a 12-0 advantage in the second half, but still struggled to put away the equalizer.

The Golden Eagles appeared to have tallied the second goal of the game in the 71st minute, but a late offsides call quickly ended the celebration, forcing JBU to find another goal to put away the Cavaliers.

Finally with just 5:06 left in the match, sophomore Anne Metz played a ball through the middle to Redman, who burned past a pair of defenders and into the box before releasing a shot to the far left post from nine yards out, notching her 17th of the season.

“I knew we would see a completely different team than last time because they were missing a lot of their key players,” said head coach Kathleen Paulsen, referencing John Brown’s 9-0 win over SGU earlier this season. “I think we generally struggled with our through balls that squeaked past us and went for goal kicks, but we really rose above it tonight.”

Morency picked up the win, moving to 15-1-1 on the year, and landed her 10th clean sheet of the year. Flewelling played well in goal for the visitors, making six saves on eight shots, but was dinged with the loss.

The Golden Eagles will now look to make its second trip to the NAIA National Championships in four seasons with a win over USAO. John Brown last went to the big dance in 2013, when it upended top-seeded Oklahoma City in penalty kicks at Stars Field. Since then, JBU has lost the last two title matches, both on the road, including a 1-0 setback at Oklahoma Baptist before last year’s heartbreak in Chickasha, Okla.

Friday’s match, scheduled for 5 p.m., is the first SAC tournament title match to be played at home in program history.

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SILOAM SPRINGS – While the No. 18 and second-seeded John Brown University men’s soccer team took nearly a half to get its conference-leading offense going, sophomore Kelvin Omondi struck just before the break and sophomore Ryan Williams struck late for insurance as the Golden Eagles moved into the Sooner Athletic tournament semifinal with a 2-0 win over seventh-seeded Texas Wesleyan on Saturday (Nov. 5) afternoon at Alumni Field.

The win over the Rams (4-11-2) was the second in as many weeks for the Golden Eagles (13-2-2) as JBU was the first team in bracket to punch a spot in the conference final four teams.

While Wesleyan often clogged up the middle and showed more of an offensive push than last week, also a 2-0 Golden Eagle win, the hosts held the vast majority of the possession time and a 22-7 shooting margin.

Junior Adam Holt needed just a pair of saves, but in doing so, set a new program record with his 11th shutout of the season and the 23rd of his career. His actual 23.1 clean sheets, after splitting a game with Connor Georgopulos in a 6-0 win over Evangel (Mo.) in 2015, surpasses a 34-year program record (23) set by Steve Wilson in 1982. With one more clean sheet, Holt can also set a new single-season shutout record, as Wilson’s 12 in 1981 still stands.

Omondi’s 15th of the season was a result of sharp passing, none more so than junior Collin Smith’s no-look flick deep in the box. Sophomore Ashby Clark began the counterattack on the right flank, sending a low cross into the box. Smith changed the angle of the pass, which went directly to Omondi, seven yards out from the goal, who smashed in a one-touch past TWU keeper Marko Jovanovic for his SAC-leading 15th strike of the season.

After out-shooting the visitors 9-3 in the first half, the Golden Eagles continued the ball possession dominance and fired 13 targets toward Jovanovic, including seven on target.

Finally, in the 85th minute, JBU earned its much-needed insurance goal when Williams’ eighth of the season ended any and all hopes the Rams had at a late comeback. Junior Steve Teshima’s cross from the right flank found freshman Amilcar Gonzalez waiting at the back post. Instead of attempting a shot, Gonzalez headed the cross directly to Williams as he waited in the slot. Williams ripped a low shot to the bottom left corner to solidify John Brown’s third-consecutive trip to the semifinals in as many seasons.

Jovanovic finished with seven saves, but was dinged with the loss. Holt moved his season record up to 13-2-2 with the win, which is tied for second all-time in single-season program history.

The Golden Eagles will await the result of sixth-seeded Bacone (Okla.) and third-seeded Science & Arts (Okla.). The winner of that quarterfinal match will travel to Siloam Springs on Tuesday for a 4 p.m. kick off.

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SILOAM SPRINGS – Sophomore Baily Cameron posted a double-double and the John Brown University women’s basketball team lead for most of the contest, but a fourth-quarter comeback led by sophomore Preslea Reece guided the Golden Eagles to a 70-66 win over No. 11 Benedictine (Kan.) on Tuesday (Nov. 1) evening inside Bill George Arena.

Facing a one-point deficit, 59-58, with 3:23 left in the game, Reece hit back-to-back triples and finished off a personal eight-point run with a shot in the post to cap a 10-2 run, handing JBU (1-0) a 66-61 lead with one minute left.

The Golden Eagles held Bendictine to 2-of-6 from the field in the final 60 seconds and senior Kodee Powell went 4-of-4 from the line down the stretch to seal the season-opening upset victory.

“I thought we played well at times, a typical first game,” admitted head coach Jeff Soderquist. “We started off the second quarter hot, but then (Benedictine) changed up their defense. We got passive and stood around. In the second half, Kimmy (Deines) and others started to attack, getting it inside.

“I was very proud of how we handled giving up the lead and sticking with it. You know everyone is going to be after Baily (Cameron), and I thought Preslea (Reece) stepped up and hit those big threes and that soft corner shot and really stepped up for us tonight.”

Cameron nabbed a double-double with 22 points and 10 boards while Reece finished with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor. Powell hit 4-of-5 from behind the arc to add 17 points as the hosts shot 22-of-55 from the field (40 percent), but more impressively hit 45 percent of shots taken from long range (11-of-24).

The Ravens, which finished the 2015-16 season in the national semifinals, was led by Kristen Murphy’s 18 points while LaRanda Smith hit four triples to contribute 14 points. Ali Taff produced 11 points in the loss and dished out a game-high eight assists.

While both teams committed over 15 turnovers, John Brown made the Ravens pay to the tune of 21 points. The majority of the match was played close, featuring four ties and five lead changes.

JBU will now enjoy a six-day break until returning to action on Monday (Nov. 7) when the Golden Eagles host Ecclesia (Ark.) at 8 p.m.

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Siloam Springs – The Central Baptist College men’s basketball team opened the 2016-2017 season at John Brown University for their 36th Annual TP Game. In a close affair, JBU pulled it out 104-94 over the Mustangs.

CBC returned numerous from a squad that finished 14-17 and made it to the semifinals of the NCCAA Tournament. The Mustangs were led by Fred Albright (SR/Little Rock, AR) (15.16 ppg LY) and Mike Evans (SR/North Little Rock, AR) (9.39 ppg, 8.16 reb LY).

The Mustangs started off the game a little out of sorts as they committed a couple early fouls and turnovers as JBU built an early 10-3 lead.  CBC’s Marcellous Green would score, followed by a JBU miss, a Fred Albright 3-pointer and rebound, after another Eagle miss, feeding Evans for a score to bring CBC back to just a two point deficient, 10-12.  John Brown would extend the lead into the half with a couple of 3-pointers by Jake Caudle and Ricky Roberts to make it 52-38 JBU.

JBU would maintain a double digit lead thru much of the second half until Jordan Ford(FR/Dallas, Texas)’s 3-point shot would make it 69-61.  Clay Anderson (FR/Benton, AR) would make a shot to bring the Mustangs to within six, 69-63.

A Nick Jones (FR/Little Rock, AR) made three at the 3:38 mark would bring CBC to within five points at 92-87.  It would soon become a matter of free throws as the Eagles would make them down the stretch for the final 104-94 decision.

Central Baptist had 27 points off 19 forced turnovers and would score 25 points on second chance shots.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After launching seven goals in two matches and breaking multiple program records, John Brown University freshman forward Kristen Howell has been named the NAIA National Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, the national offices announced Tuesday (Oct. 11) afternoon.

Only two other players in program history have won national weekly awards, both in the defensive category. Senior Kristen Morency won it twice, once in 2012 and 2013, while Natalie Wall ’07 won it in 2007. Howell is the first player in program history to notch the national accolades in the offensive category.

Howell’s two-match surge came at the expense of Oklahoma City and St. Gregory’s (Okla.), in which she racked up seven goals, or 64 percent of the Golden Eagles’ offensive output in the 2-0-0 week that helped JBU maintain its grasp on first place in the Sooner Athletic Conference.

The redshirt freshman began the week with her first-career hattrick, the 13th in program history, in a 5-0 win over Oklahoma City, JBU’s largest margin of victory over the Stars in program history. She then tallied a four-goal outing in John Brown’s 9-0 win over St. Gregory’s, notching back-to-back hattricks, the first such occurrence in program history.

Now with multiple three-goal outings, Howell joined Nikki Ganter ’06, an All-America third team selection, as the only players in program history to record multiple three-goal outbursts. Additionally, Howell’s four-goal match against the Cavaliers tied a single-game program record, set by Rachel Gerdin ’08 in 2008, a 6-0 John Brown win over Mid-America Christian (Okla.).

“I was excited to hear that Kristen was chosen for this award,” said head coach Kathleen Paulsen. “She had an exceptional week with multiple quality goals in both matches. As a team, we’ve been working on having quality in the final third and Kristen and the team have found success over the last couple of weeks. It’s exciting to see.”

Yesterday (Oct. 10), Howell earned her first-ever Sooner Athletic Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Howell now stands at 10 goals and three assists on the season (23 points) and moved into fourth place in the Sooner Athletic top scoring list, behind teammates Jastin Redman and Aspen Robinson and behind conference leader, Nadine Jaimes of Southwestern A.G. (Texas).

The Golden Eagles have been on an unprecedented streak as of late. Over the team’s last six outings, John Brown has outscored its opponents 34-0 and accumulated six straight clean sheets. Over the same span, JBU has out-shot its opponents 174-32, or nearly 5.5-1.0.

JBU is on pace to set program single-season team records in goal, assists, points, goals-against average, shutouts.

The No. 20 Golden Eagles (10-1-1) return to action on Saturday (Oct. 15) at Alumni Field, hosting Science & Arts (Okla.) at 2 p.m.

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