The Basics
Final: Evangel 88, John Brown 86 (2OT) | Final Stats
Records: Evangel (1-1); John Brown (1-1)
Site: Bill George Arena

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – Evangel converted 13-of-16 free-throw attempts in its two overtime periods to pull out an 88-86 road victory over John Brown in non-conference women's basketball action Tuesday evening at Bill George Arena.

A balanced Evangel lineup that featured five double-figure scorers and a 27-of-31 (0.871) team performance from the charity stripe delivered the first Valor victory of the season—and the first of new head coach Preston Beverly's EU career—despite a pair of last-second, game-tying field goals at the end of regulation and the first overtime by JBU that extended the game.

EU overcame a 39-point, 12-rebound performance by Tarrah Stephens to notch the win. Bayley Harman scored nine of her team-high 16 points during the two overtime periods, and Alexis Cauthon added 13, including the go-ahead free throws with 1:50 left in the second extra period. Alexis Roach also came through in the clutch, hitting 3-of-4 foul shots in the final 31 seconds of the contest to help seal the outcome.

Abby Wildermuth added 15 points, while Sophie Sparks tallied 12 and Roach finished with 10 points for Evangel.

Evangel used a late rally to overcome a six-point JBU fourth-quarter lead, after the Golden Eagles scored eight of the first 10 points of the period to take their largest lead of the night with just over six minutes left in regulation.

The Valor fought back with an 8-0 run, fueled by three-pointers from Wildermuth and Jazzy Kirby to grab a 62-60 lead at the 3:40 mark.

Stephens' bucket with 39 seconds to play gave the Golden Eagles a one-point lead, but Wildermuth corralled her own miss and was fouled while attempting a three-pointer with just 5.5 ticks left on the clock. The senior coolly sank all three attempts to give the Valor a 67-65 edge, but Stephens delivered the equalizing basket with her drive to the basket as time expired.

In the first overtime period, Evangel rode the offensive prowess of Harman to a three-point lead in the closing seconds. Harman scored the Valor's first eight points of overtime, converting three-straight buckets in the paint for EU.

Zoey Mullings' free throws with eight seconds to play gave Evangel a 77-74 lead, but once again JBU came up with a buzzer-beating field goal to extend the game. This time, Maddie Altman connected from the right wing for the game-tying three-pointer just ahead of the horn to force a second extra period.

Altman complimented Stephens' big night by nearly logging a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 10 assists and seven boards.

Evangel's defense limited the Golden Eagles to just 20-percent shooting (6-of-30) from beyond the arc and forced 27 turnovers.

After a nip-and-tuck first period in which neither club led by more than three points, the Valor appeared poised to run away with a big victory after seizing control with a 28-13 scoring run that turned a three-point deficit into a 12-point advantage.

Evangel, which shot just 6-of-21 from the floor in the opening quarter, started the second on first from the field, knocking down its first three shots as part of a 7-0 spurt over the first 1:07 of the period. After a Wildermuth bucket opening the period, Harman drained a three-pointer, before Sparks came up with a steal and a basket for a 22-13 Valor lead.

A Roach triple at the 5:42 mark extended the Evangel lead to double digits, and Sparks added another field goal with just over four minutes left on the clock. The Valor knocked down 8-of-17 second-quarter shots to take a 36-25 edge into the break.

EU enjoyed a sizable 14-3 advantage in bench scoring in the opening half, thanks largely to Sparks' 10 points. The Valor also took advantage of 15 JBU turnovers, turning those takeaways into 14 points.

The Golden Eagles bounced back in the second half behind the play of Stephens, who scored 29 points after intermission to help turn the tide in JBU's favor. After using a 6-0 run to open the third quarter, the home club pulled to within a point on Stephens' three-point play with 5:26 to play in the period. JBU ultimately outscored the Valor by a 27-16 margin and hit 10-of-17 field-goal tries in the quarter.

Stephens then powered the Golden Eagles to a eight unanswered points that led to a 60-54 lead in the early stages of the fourth period, before EU countered with its momentum-swinging 8-0 spurt.

UP NEXT
Evangel will open play at the Coyote Classic in Salina, Kan., Friday with a 2 p.m. game against Bethany College.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.  

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