Barenberg's 17 Points Paces John Brown to 74-67 Win at Wayland Baptist
PLAINVIEW, Texas (January 26, 2013) - On the heels of Kortni Barenberg's 6-of-9 shooting effort from the field, the junior forward knocked down 17 points and tied a career-high as the Golden Eagles (8-12, 3-5 SAC) ended its four-game losing skid, defeating Wayland Baptist (12-10, 4-4 SAC), 74-67, this afternoon at the Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas.
"I thought we played very well as a team," said head coach Jeff Soderquist. "The whole team had a hand in the victory and I'm very proud of the ladies and their effort today."
Three Golden Eagles finished with double-digit outputs as sophomore forward Abbie Warren contributed a career-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including a 2-of-2 effort from behind the arc. Junior center Kami Garrison chipped in with 11 points, going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
The first five minutes of the contest featured three ties and three lead changes as both teams were knotted at nine apiece. Lauren Roger's triple broke the deadlock, sparking John Brown to a 10-7 run over the next 4:43, nabbing a 22-16 lead as Warren's fast-break bucket in the paint gave JBU a six-point advantage.
Then at the 9:50 mark, both teams would go scoreless for four minutes until Garrison's basket down low broke the streak as the Golden Eagles regained the six-point lead. The Flying Queens looked to end the first half strong, grabbing a slim 9-7 run to close out the first stanza. Sierra Shipley had other plans, however, as the junior guard landed a triple with 10 seconds left, pushing the WBU deficit to a half-high seven points.
Both teams committed eight turnovers in the first half, but it was the hot Golden Eagle shooting that provided the difference. JBU shot 13-of-23 in the first half (56.5 percent) while limiting the Flying Queens to just 34.4 percent (11-of-32). Warren and Barenberg held a team-high points lead after the first 20 minutes.
At the 17:22 mark of the second half, John Brown notched its largest lead of the game, owners of a 13-point advantage after Shipley's triple powered the Golden Eagles to netting eight of the first 10 points in the second stanza. Still sporting a double-digit lead, JBU allowed Wayland Baptist to earn a 10-2 run as the Golden Eagles went without a basket for a 2:58 stretch, gingerly holding on to a 51-48 lead.
Barenberg responded again, nailing back-to-back triples, pushing the visitor's lead back to seven, 57-50. The Flying Queens answered by piling up the John Brown fouls and earning points at the line to crawl back within two at the 3:58 mark, eventually tying the game with under three minutes to play.
Currently ranked third-best nationally in free throw shooting as a team, the Golden Eagles converted all 12 of its charity-stripe opportunities down the stretch, pulling away finally for the 74-67 victory.
Barenberg also pulled down a game-high six rebounds despite Wayland Baptist controlling the battle on the boards, 43-33. The Golden Eagles were 9-of-13 from the free throw line while limited the hosts to a 5-of-20 effort on the afternoon.
John Brown will return to the court on Thursday, Jan. 31, when it hosts Science and Arts (Okla.) (9-11, 0-8 SAC) to a 6:00 p.m. tip-off.
