Galliguez, Hot Three-Point Shooting Rolls Cavaliers, 71-56
SHAWNEE, Okla. (February 28, 2013) - Senior guard Abel Galliguez couldn’t be stopped tonight, finishing 6-of-6 from three-point range, pushing the Golden Eagles (26-5) to a convincing 71-56 win over eighth-seeded St. Gregory’s (7-21), Thursday night at Mabee Arena.
Galliguez’s effort helped the Golden Eagles knock down a season-high 16 triples as he finished with a game-high 19 points. Sophomore forward Max Hopfgartner chipped in with 11 points while freshman guard Kent High contributed 10 points in the winning effort.
The John Brown defense played well throughout the contest, holding the Cavaliers to 34.6 percent from the field while keeping Sooner Athletic Conference second-leading scorer, Fayzon, Richey to a mere 17-point night.
Senior guard E.J. McWoods turned in an effective night, notching six points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists. Seven different Golden Eagles hit a basket from beyond the arc.
SGU forced 16 Golden Eagle turnovers, translating the miscues into 19 points off turnover. John Brown only managed 7 Cavalier turnovers.
St. Gregory’s scored the first baskets of the game, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead. JBU tied it up quickly with back-to-back field goals from Hopfgartner before a pair of Kurtis Phillips shots from the charity stripe gave the Golden Eagles its first lead of the contest at the 16:15 mark. The Cavaliers responded, however, when Richey’s triple returned JBU to the hole.
At the 14:22 mark, the three-point shooting for John Brown began to heat up. McWoods was the first to drain a triple before JBU converted five consecutive triples, powered by Galliguez’s trio of long balls over an 8:14 stretch, handing the top-seeded squad an 11-point lead, 29-18.
Another pair of treys by Abel Galliguez extended JBU’s lead to 20, 41-21, before Hopfgartner joined the act, dropping a three-pointer of his own, allowing the Golden Eagles a 44-23 lead heading into the half.
John Brown was unstoppable from behind the arc, finishing the half 10-of-16 (62.5 percent). The Golden Eagles’ 15-of-22 effort overall from the field earned a 68.2 percent shooting clip. Although the Cavs had one more shot attempt, SGU only managed eight field goals on 23 chances (34.8 percent).
The Cavs opened the second half on a quick 10-5 spurt, but High scored five-straight points, one from three-point range, building the Golden Eagle’s lead back to 20, 54-34. Both teams traded baskets over the next 3:14, but a pair of D’Shon Taylor free throws and yet another Galliguez trey ballooned the Golden Eagle lead to a game-high 24, 61-37, points at the 9:09 mark of the second stanza.
St. Gregory’s tried to maintain pace, launching an 11-3 run of its own. JBU would then close the door when Kofi Josephs landed his second three-pointer of the game before Galliguez converted the unusual four-point play, his sixth and final triple of the game.
SGU finished the game on an 8-0 run, but the Golden Eagle three-point barrage was too much, clinching a 71-56 win and a spot in the conference semifinals.
JBU outrebounded its opponents 36-26 while outscoring the St. Gregory’s bench, 22-20.
With the victory, the Golden Eagles will face fourth-seeded Science and Arts (17-8) in the semifinals on Friday, March 1. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 p.m.
