SILOAM SPRINGS -- Junior Drew Miller scored eight of his game-high 29 points in the final three minutes and sophomore Malachi Reeves converted 8 of 10 from the line as the sixth-seeded John Brown University men's basketball team beat No. 25 Southwestern A.G. (Texas) 85-80 in the Sooner Athletic Tournament quarterfinals Feb. 29.
The Golden Eagles (16-12) poured in 16 three pointers, making up for the host Lions' 50% shooting effort. Miller knocked down seven on his own, while sophomore Josh Stewart and senior Noah Taylor each added a trio of threes, vaulting the Golden Eagles into the semifinals, possibly one win away from nabbing the SAC's second auto bid to the NAIA National Championships.
John Brown played Mid-America Christian (Okla.) at Texas Wesleyan University on Monday in the semifinals. Results were not available at press time.
"What a great game today, and I couldn't be prouder of our team," Coach Jason Beschta said after improving to 4-6 in the quarterfinal round. "The fighting spirit in this group was so strong, and there was just a refusal to give up.
"SAGU was such a tough matchup and has two really elite scorers that make guarding them a nightmare. Our guys made some really big plays down the stretch, and I loved seeing our confidence shooting the basketball. I'm so excited for our seniors, and the team is a whole at the opportunity to extend our season another game."
John Brown finished the game on a 14-8 run after Miller's pair of conversions at the charity stripe gave JBU a narrow one-point lead with 3:30 remaining. SAGU answered Miller's first three down the stretch, but then at the 2:04 mark, the All-SAC second teamer drilled a three from the exact same spot -- the deep left corner -- extending the visitors' lead to six, 81-75.
On the Lions' final three possessions in the final minute, the John Brown defense came up with a pair of stops, both SAGU misses from behind the arc. Stewart and Reeves hit all four attempts at the free throw line to ice the contest.
Although the Golden Eagles led for just 13:21 of the evening, the Blue and Gold worked to advantages in rebounding (33-25), points off turnovers (14-13) and points off the bench (17-9). The game was tied 11 times and included 12 lead changes, eight lead swaps happening in the second half alone.
Stewart finished with 17 points off the bench on 6 of 12 shooting. Reeves pulled down nine rebounds.