No. 4 John Brown Uses Three-Point Barrage To Take Down Cavs

John Brown hit a season-high 16 three pointers in a 71-56 win over St. Gregory's Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament at the Noble Complex. The No. 4-ranked Golden Eagles made 10 treys in the first half alone en route to their eighth win in nine tries.

JBU (26-5) came into the game as the third-best team in the NAIA in total three-pointers made and 3s per game. It lived up to that billing Thursday night, going 16-for-33 from long distance. After a hot first half, the Golden Eagles finished at 51 percent overall for the game.

They were led by Abel Galliguez's game-high 19 points, which included a 6-for-6 night from three-point range. Seven different JBU players made three pointers.

SGU, meanwhile, had trouble on the offensive end, finishing at 35 percent for the game. They were led by Fayzon Richey, who scored 17 points and had two steals in his final game as a Cavalier. SGU forced 16 Golden Eagle turnovers but were out-rebounded 36-26 for the game.

SGU led 12-8 just five minutes into the game when the Golden Eagles' three-point barrage began. JBU hit treys on five of its next six possessions, and Coleson Rakestraw capped an 18-3 run with a three from the wing to make it 26-15 with 7:53 to go in the half.

It was 26-18 Golden Eagles just moments later when JBU went on another 18-3 run - this time using four three-pointers - to extend the lead to 23. The Golden Eagles had a 44-23 advantage at halftime.

JBU hit 10 of its 16 three-point attempts in the first 20 minutes and shot 68 percent overall. Galliquez led all scorers with 15 points, including a 5-for-5 effort from long distance. SGU shot only 35 percent and was led by Richey's seven points at the break.

The Cavs scored seven of the second half's first nine points reduce the deficit to 46-30 at the 18:10 mark, but the designated visiting team went cold again. SGU managed only one bucket over the next five minutes, allowing the Golden Eagles to extend the lead back to 21 at with 10:50 to go.

SGU again got within 16 at 64-48 with 5:12 remaining, but fittingly, JBU's Kofi Josephs nailed a deep trey from the right wing to end the run and virtually any chance of a comeback.

The Cavs finish the season at 7-21. Seniors Richey, Devonte Young and Jay Valerius all played in their final games at SGU.