Triples Undo John Brown's First-Half Romp
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (December 29, 2015) -- Senior Griffin Brady notched his fourth double-double of the season and freshman Josh Bowling added a career-high 16 points, but a nine-point halftime lead evaporated as San Diego Christian (Calif.) dropped in seven second-half triples to edge out the John Brown men's basketball team (6-7), 75-70, this afternoon at the Bross Gymnasium.
Armed with a nine-point lead, 41-32, at the intermission after shooting 55.5 percent from the floor, the Golden Eagles went cold in the second half, shooting just 26.5 percent as the Hawks (7-4) hit seven of its first nine opportunities from the floor to take its first lead of the game, 49-48, with 14:11 remaining in the game.
Highlighted by four ties and seven lead changes in the second half, JBU responded with a 7-0 run to take a 55-49 lead after Bowling turned a pair of ankles before a layup and Brady hit his first triple of the night. Junior Ricky Roberts capped off the rally with a fast-break layup. Freshman Marquis Waller hit a pair at the line to keep the lead to three, 57-54, but SDCC's Trevor English hit a three with 7:30 remaining to give the Hawks a 63-61 lead.
With 5:47 left, Bowling hit his final two points at the stripe, allowing the designated visitors a four-point cushion, 69-65, but the Golden Eagles wouldn't make another field goal in the contest as the Hawks finished the game on a 10-1 run. JBU ended the final five minutes 0-of-9 from the field.
Brady finished the contest with a team-best 17 points and 10 boards after a 12-point, seven-rebound first half effort, and hit 4-of-6 from the field. Bowling added his 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and added a block in his best showing of the season. Roberts hit five field goals and finished with 13 points and added a trio of boards and two assists.
Trevor English led all scorers with 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from behind the arc. Dalante Dunklin contributed 23 points and completed the double-double with 12 caroms as Nathan Klekas hit 4-of-7 from the field to finish with 10 points.
The Hawks held a 43-37 rebounding advantage while JBU hit 16-of-20 (80 percent) from the stripe. SDCC finished with a 36-28 edge in points in the paint while JBU recorded a 28-8 edge in points off the bench, powered by Bowling's performance.
With the loss the Golden Eagles fall to 0-1 all-time against San Diego Christian. John Brown will finish the 2015 Jersey Mike's New Year's Classic tomorrow (Dec. 30) when it faces host The Master's (Calif.) at 9 p.m.
