Three-Point Barrage Erases 19-Point Deficit, Late Heroics Send Golden Eagles to Upset Win
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (December 3, 2015) -- At one point facing a 19-point deficit in the third quarter, the John Brown women’s basketball team (6-3, 1-0 SAC) posted a 22-5 scoring advantage in the third and rode four players in double figures to a 63-58 come-from-behind win over No. 10 Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Thursday (Dec. 3) evening inside Bill George Arena.
In both teams’ Sooner Athletic openers, the game seemed out of reach at the intermission as the Flying Queens (2-3, 0-1 SAC) had JBU doubled up on the scoreboard, 36-18, courtesy of a break-out second quarter in which the visitors posted a 26-6 scoring advantage. The Golden Eagles actually held a 12-10 lead at the end of the first period, courtesy of a Kimmy Deines buzzer-beating floater from the left block.
The second quarter featured just two field goals for the hosts as John Brown committed five of its 15 turnovers in the frame. WBU’s Stephanie Afunugo couldn’t be stopped in the first half, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor to post 10 of the Flying Queens’ 36 points. Baptist shot 50 percent from the floor and limited the Golden Eagles to an anemic 29.2 percent from the field.
The second half was a reversal of the first, however, as senior Brooke Barker kicked off the scoring with a baseline jumper. Shawna Monreal converted an and-one on the next possession, sending Wayland to its largest lead of the game at 19 points, 39-20.
After three consecutive empty possessions, the Golden Eagle offense final began to catch heat. Sophomore Jana Schammel sunk a shot and two possessions later, Deines hit consecutive field goals for a short 6-0 JBU spurt, both coming off WBU turnovers. John Brown ended the quarter converting four of five attempts from behind the arc, two from Schammel and two from junior Kodee Powell, and held the visitors to a pair of field goals in the period. With Powell’s second triple of the period with four seconds left, JBU completed a 20-2 run to pull within just a point, 41-40.
Baptist responded with netting four of its first five chances from the field in the fourth, halted just slightly by Schammel’s third triple of the second half. The visitors’ lead grew back to eight, 52-44, but a Powell triple kept the hosts within striking distance.
Afunugo drilled a running lay-in with 5:10 remaining in the contest, holding the Flying Queens to a 56-49 advantage. WBU would score just one field goal through the remainder of the game as John Brown finished the contest on a 12-2 rally. After converted 5-of-6 from the line and pulling within two, 58-56, Monreal missed a triple on the other end, giving JBU a chance to tie or take the lead 52 seconds left.
After draining the shot clock, Schammel found a wide-open Deines at the top of the right arc. Deines paused and launched a game-clinching trey. Afunugo missed a shot on the ensuing possession, and Powell split at the line before the Golden Eagles finished off the upset.
Schammel grabbed Powell’s miss on the second attempt and kept the ball in play by flicking a pass back to Deines, who had to save the ball from flying out of bounds. In a heads-up play, Deines returned the pass back to Schammel, who connected with freshman Baily Cameron down low. Cameron hit the lay up and drew the foul, cementing the upset victory.
Deines shot 5-of-9 from the floor and contributed an impressive 12 points, eight boards and two assists in the win. Despite finishing just 1-of-4 from long range, Deines needed just the one to hand JBU the victory. Three other Golden Eagles finished in double figures, led by 15 points from Powell on 4-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Schammel knocked down three shots from downtown and added 14 points while Cameron posted 12 points and six rebounds in the victory.
After a difficult first-half shooting mark, John Brown recovered to finish 21-of-52 (40.4 percent) from the floor and hit 10-of-29 chances from distance. Wayland notched a 26-of-58 (44.8 percent) shooting clip, but committed a season-high 23 turnovers, allowing JBU to score 21 points off Flying Queen miscues. Baptist controlled the glass to the tune of 39-26.
Laura Castillo poured in a game-high 16 points for Wayland, shooting 6-of-7 on the night. Monreal added 11 points and eight boards while Afunugo contributed 14 points and six caroms in the loss.
The loss is Wayland’s third straight and John Brown moves to 11-10 (.524) all-time against WBU in Siloam Springs.
The Golden Eagles will close out the week with a tilt with Southwestern A.G. (Texas) on Saturday (Dec. 5) at 1 p.m. JBU will attempt to enter Christmas break with a perfect 2-0 mark in conference play.
