Lyon downs JBU men
BATESVILLE — Lyon used a 8-0 run midway through the first half to take the lead for the rest of the contest and handed the John Brown University men’s basketball team its first loss of the season, 7065, in Bucknell Gymnasium on Thursday evening.
“Playing against a team that is so methodical and effective in what they run, it can be difficult to speed the game up, so you have to really grind it out each possession,” said JBU head coach Jason Beschta. “We did this well in spurts tonight, but we were plagued by turnovers which resulted in too many empty possessions. We have to value the ball better.
“On the defensive end, we simply have to do a better job at guarding our yard, at being able to guard our man one-on-one and then having great help. They made some tough plays finishing at the basket and Narusas really shot the ball well for them. I was pleased to see some different guys step up tonight when given the opportunity.”
Justas Narusas went off for a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds, hitting 6-of-9 attempts from behind the arc. Braden Wendel contributed 16 points and Joe Burt added 10, converting 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the win for the Scots.
The Golden Eagles countered with a team-best 12 points from Jake Caudle, on three triples, while Marquis Waller’s 4-of-5 night from the floor resulted in 12 points as he dished out a team-best three assists. Josh Bowling hit 4-of-7 from the floor to contribute 11 points and senior Zach English hit all four free throws to finish with nine points.
JBU shot consistently from the floor all night, hitting 20-of-44 from the field (45.5 percent) and 47.6 percent from long range (10-of-21). The Scots just shot better in their own barn, knocking down 22of-43 from the floor (51.2 percent) and 8-of-15 from downtown (53.3 percent).
The Golden Eagles committed 19 turnovers, 14 unforced, while Lyon turned the ball over 14 times, 11 of which were unprompted.
JBU will return home for an 8 p.m. matchup with Benedictine (Kan.) on Tuesday. Last season, the Ravens took a narrow 68-64 win in Atchison, Kan.