OKLAHOMA CITY – The John Brown University men’s basketball team sank 33-of-40 attempts from the free throw line and used four double-digit scorers to pick up a huge 83-78 win over defending national champions and No. 21 Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Saturday (Jan. 28) afternoon inside the Gaulke Activity Center.

Now rolling on a three-game win streak, the Golden Eagles (13-8, 5-5 Sooner Athletic), who was once just one spot away from the league cellar, moves into a three-way tie for fifth place and just one game behind a three-way tie currently for second place.

In a game peppered with 17 lead changes and nine ties, JBU rode sophomore Josh Bowling to a team-best 19 points, while earning 11 at the stripe. Senior Zach English submitted a 15-point outing, highlighted by an efficient 6-of-9 shooting night from the floor. Sophomore Brandon Joseph hit seven from the line to finish with 12 points and two assists while sophomore Marquis Waller posted 11 points, six boards and three assists in the win.

In fact, the Golden Eagles hit the boards hard again, out-boarding the Evangels (13-9. 4-6) by a 36-30 margin, marking the third straight contest and sixth of its last seven outings that JBU has won the battle on the glass.

Both teams shot nearly identically on the afternoon, but it was John Brown’s shooting at the charity stripe. While JBU connected at an 82.5 percent clip, MACU attempted just 15 from the stripe, hitting only nine (60 percent). The hosts were whistled for 34 personal fouls while the Golden Eagles committed only 20 in the win.

It was JBU’s first win inside the Gaulke Activity Center since 75-74 win on Feb. 20, 2014, breaking a two-game losing skid.

“This was a really big win for us today against a tough MACU team,” said head coach Jason Beschta. “They can really score and are super-dangerous in transition. We did a really good job most of the game controlling the tempo and keeping them from getting easy buckets in transition. We also did a really good job in the second half, limiting their offensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities.

“We committed to defending tonight and making big stops. We knew it was going to be a dogfight until the end. Some of the toughness plays we made – rebounding and taking charges showed the type of team we can be. Ricky (Roberts) and Jake (Caudle) each earned charging calls on defense. Those types of plays win games in this league.”

The Golden Eagle schedule doesn’t get easier next week as JBU welcomes Southwestern A.G. (Texas) to Bill George Arena on Thursday (Feb. 2) followed by a matinee matchup with Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Saturday. Both teams are above John Brown in the SAC standings.

Olajuwon Garner scored 21 in the loss for MACU while Devonse Reed added 15. The Evangels entered the game 9-3 in Oklahoma City this season.

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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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