SILOAM SPRINGS -- Ending the game on a 12-5 run, senior Natalie Smith hit the biggest shot of the night, sinking a three pointer from the left elbow of the arc and the top-seeded Golden Eagles held on with a strong second-half defensive effort as the No. 13 John Brown University women's basketball team held on for a 61-57 win over Texas Wesleyan in the Sooner Athletic Tournament quarterfinals on Feb. 29.
John Brown advanced to the semifinal round to face fourth-seeded Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Monday night at Texas Wesleyan. Results were not available at press time.
Tied for the 10th time of the night, this time at 57 apiece, junior Graci Harris found Smith for just her second three of the night, but none more important, sending JBU to the semifinal round after senior Emily Sanders converted on the front end at the charity stripe to give the hosts a four-point cushion.
After starting the night a sizzling 60% (10 of 17) from the field and 3 of 4 from behind the arc, Texas Wesleyan stunned the Bill George Arena crowd by taking a 10-point lead three minutes into the second quarter. Then, the Golden Eagles woke up.
Senior Tarrah Stephens scored eight points and freshman Abbey Sanders hit a key three as John Brown powered to a 16-4 run to close the first half, converting the double-digit deficit into a two-point lead at the intermission.
Two ties and three lead changes peppered the third quarter as neither team could pull away. Senior Leah Anderson and Stephens hit field goals in the final minute, ending a nearly four-minute drought with the teams entering the fourth quarter tied at 47 apiece.
The Rams scored five of the first seven points in the fourth, but then the JBU defense stepped up, holding the visitors to just 2 of 14 (14 %) over the final 8:46 of the final period. Stephens netted five points during the final 12-5 run, and freshman Briley Burns connected on a deep three from the right corner to continue the Golden Eagle comeback bid.
Stephens battled through a 10 of 24 shooting night to lead all players with 26 points, her eighth 20-point effort of the season, and grabbed nine of JBU's 43 rebounds to accompany a pair of blocks. Senior Bella Irlenborn contributed nine important points and six boards, while Smith ended with eight points. Harris dished out a game-best seven assists.
All eight Golden Eagles who saw action scored in the game.
While the visitors relied on mid-range shooting, JBU chose to ride Stephens in the paint and outscored the visitors 31-16 in the lane. The Golden Eagles were held to 25% or lower for just the sixth time this season, but still continued the program record 24-game winning streak and improving to 11-3 when hitting 40% of their shots or less.