Chicken for everyone after JBU win
■ Hot shooting helps Golden Eagles start fast in upset against No. 7 Science and Arts (Okla.).
When John Brown University’s men’s basketball team hits 11 or more 3-pointers in a home game, fans inside Bill George Arena are treated to a free chicken sandwich at a fast-food restaurant.
The feat had only been accomplished once before Saturday’s 83-72 win against Science and Arts (Okla.). The Golden Eagles (14-10, 8-7 Sooner Athletic Conference) shot a sizzling 53.6 percent from 3-point range by draining 15 of 28 from beyond the arc.
They nearly had earned free chicken for the crowd by halftime by going 10 of 18 from 3-point range to build a 41-23 lead against the Drovers (19-6, 10-6), which entered the game ranked No. 7 in the nation.
The hot shooting was quite a turnaround considering JBU was 2 of 18 on 3-pointers during an 89-66 loss at Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Thursday night.
“The difference was MACU made us take tougher shots than we got in the first half tonight,” said JBU coach Jason Beschta. “We showed our guys after our last game that we got some good looks, though. We weren’t knocking them down and those only two against MACU were from Jake (Caudle).
“The reason we’ve had success in shooting all year is we have a lot of good shooters, but shooters have to make their shots. That’s what good teams do and we got some good looks and really knocked them down there in the first half.”
Caudle hit five 3-pointers on his way to a gamehigh 24 points, while Marquis Waller chipped in 15 points with three 3-pointers. A total of seven Golden Eagles hit 3-pointers.
Caudle, a junior guard from Bentonville, also added four assists and made an impact on the defensive end by drawing a pair of charge calls against USAO. Caudle nearly drew a third charge that would have fouled out Drovers’ junior
Julius Foster late in the game. Caudle helped limit Foster to 1-of-11 shooting from the field, but when
he didn’t draw that fifth foul, his coach called him over for a quick lesson on “flopping,” which is when a defender falls backwards onto the floor to try to entice an offensive foul call.
“Jake may be the best guy I’ve ever seen at being able to take charges,” Beschta said. “Jake has a real knack for reading the defense and getting in position. That gives a team so much energy when they see a teammate willing to sacrifice their body like that.
“But when you’re an official and you see a guy taking that many charges, you think he’s gotta be flopping. I talked to the official and he agreed with me. Sometimes just fall back instead of falling straight down because otherwise, it looks like a flop.”
Despite the 18-point halftime lead, the Drovers trimmed the deficit to just three points (47-44) when they opened the second half with a 21-6 run. JBU’s Jaylon Rucker stopped the bleeding with a personal 5-0 run, including the team’s 11th 3-pointer that secured chicken sandwiches for fans with 12 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in regulation.
“To see us not fold under that pressure was really good,” Beschta said. “We kept our composure and just went out and started making plays again to get our confidence back and get our energy back.”
A big energy boost came from reserves who poured in 31 points off the bench. Sophomore Mateo Habazin, a 6-foot-8 forward, contributed nine points and eight rebounds. There were several times when Habazin, who missed the fall semester with an injury, maneuvered around defenders for key buckets to keep the Golden Eagles in control.
“We were getting the ball inside to Mateo and he hasn’t even come close to where he’s going to be as a player,” Beschta said. “He’s got so many good moves in there in the post and he passes the ball really well.
“That was the difference. We got so many points off the bench. There was no letdown when they replaced the starters.
“I told the guys that this was the start of something — and I really think it will be.”
The Golden Eagles play three games this week beginning with a Tuesday game at Bacone (Okla.). Results weren’t available at presstime. They’ll then host Texas Wesleyan on Thursday and Southwestern Assemblies of God on Saturday.