Men's Basketball Changes Approach, Still Drops Seventh Straight
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Freshman Marquis Waller scored a career-best 18 points, but Bacone (Okla.) hit 12-of-20 behind the arc and rode 35 points from Brandon Chatman to a narrow 80-76 win over the John Brown mens basketball team (11-17, 4-12 SAC) on Saturday (Feb. 20) afternoon inside Bill George Arena.
Chatman shot 10-of-15, including six triples, and nailed 9-of-10 from the line to lead all scorers. He also dished out a game-high five assists. Landon Smoote contributed 16 points for Bacone (3-24, 3-14 SAC) and hit a big-time shot with 2:34 left in the game to stretch a four-point Warrior lead into a 69-65 lead. Corey Swift added 10 points while Geo Brewer notched seven points a team-best eight rebounds.
The Golden Eagles changed its approach by altering the starting lineup. While taking time to find some rhythm, the Warriors built a 30-16 lead in the first half. Powered by triples from freshman Austin Fox, freshman Jake Caudle and senior Brady Griffin, John Brown climbed all the way back to a three-point margin, 36-33, at the half, closing out the final 4:57 on a 17-3 run.
Bacone hit a triple with nine seconds left in the half to break the 17-0 run and held onto the lead at the half.
Down 48-45, the Golden Eagles ginned up a furious 12-0 rally when Fox hit his second triple of the afternoon to start the run as junior Ricky Roberts added a pair of buckets, one from downtown, to pull within three.
JBU momentarily took the lead after a five-point possession, courtesy of an and-one from Waller and a pair of conversions at the line from junior Zach English after a Bacone technical foul. The lead didnt last long, however, as Smoote and Chatman hit back-to-back triples to take the lead for good.
Besides Wallers scoring output, Fox finished a career-best afternoon with 11 points on 3-of-4 shooting behind the arc. Roberts added 12 points off the bench.
Although dominating the paint to the tune of 42-25, it was Bacones outside shooting that proved to be the difference.
John Brown finished 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the field while the Warriors, which ended a five-game skid, hit 49 percent (25-of-51) of its attempts from the floor.
Now entering the final week of regular season play, the Golden Eagles will travel to Shawnee, Okla., to take on St. Gregorys (Okla.) on Thursday (Feb. 25). The game is slated for an 8 p.m. start.
