JBU men go 2-0 in Florida
The Golden Eagles defeated Fontbonne (Mo.) on Tuesday.
BABSON PARK, Fla. — An early Josh Bowling 3-pointer broke a 2-2 tie and the No. 23 John Brown University men’s basketball team never looked back in a 76-60 victory over Fontbonne (Mo.) on Tuesday afternoon inside the Sabbagh Center in the Webber International (Fla.) Christmas Shootout.
In a turnover-plagued contest, the Golden Eagles (10-3) swept their two-game Florida trip behind a season-high six blocks by the John Brown defense. Coupled with a 10-board rebounding advantage and Fontbonne shooting less than 50 percent from the charity stripe, JBU posted its eighth double-digit victory. Fontbonne suffered its third-straight defeat.
Freshman Luke Harper came off the bench to provide 15 points to lead four Golden Eagles in double figures, posting his first double-digit performance in nine contests. He also added three rebounds and four steals.
Sophomore Rokas Grabliauskas turned in his second-straight double-digit effort, pouring in 13 points and dishing out four assists. Bowling contributed an efficient 5 of 9 mark from the floor to add 14 points and junior Brenton Toussaint netted 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting inside the arc and five boards.
With the Griffins (4-6) closing in at 13-10 at the 14:47 mark, Desmond Kennedy’s lone triple of the contest sparked a 25-8 John Brown run that Fontbonne could never recover from. Haper, Bowling and sophomore Nathan Corder each hit triples during the 9:34 stretch. The 24-point lead was John Brown’s biggest at 41-18.
After keeping the Griffins in check with a 38.5 percent mark from the field in the first half, Fontbonne whittled the JBU lead down to 15 with 13:58 left in the contest, but the Golden Eagles held steady to capture the 16-point victory.
Luke DeLine led the Griffins with 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting. Ian Cochran posted a career-high 12 points, while Gus Kleekamp pulled down a team-high nine boards.
JBU is now off until 5:30 p.m. Dec. 31 when it plays at Missouri Southern State in an exhibition game in Joplin before starting back up Sooner Athletic Conference play at home Jan. 3 against Central Christian (Kan.).