Siloam Springs, AR – After an 11 day stretch without a game, the Bobcats traveled to John Brown University to face the Golden Eagles in their Sooner Athletic Conference opener.

The Bobcats came out firing in the first half, going on an 8-2 scoring run thanks to threes from Caleb Faulkner and Andrew Dalton, followed by a jumper from Jay Baxter. Garrett Snyder answered a Golden Eagles three with one of his own, as the Cats led 11-7. DJ Quarles hit a jumper to end a Golden Eagle run, and Jay Baxter recorded a steal and scored to keep the lead, 15-12. After two defensive stops from the Cats, Andrew Dalton drew a foul and hit both free throws. The Golden Eagles went on a 14-0 run, however, to take the lead. Down 17-26, Brady Reynolds hit a bucket and Caleb Faulkner nailed a three to cut the deficit. Bryce Butler scored and with 10:11 left in the first half, the Cats trailed 24-31. Another Butler bucket was met by eight straight Golden Eagle points, with their scoring run coming to an end thanks to a Jay Baxter three. Jaiden Wilson drained a three and followed with a bucket on the next possession. After Jay Baxter made a free throw, the Cats had cut the gap to 38-44 with 4:34 left in the first half. DJ Quarles connected on a free throw and Reece Johnson hit a jumper to cut the deficit to five, but the Golden Eagles answered with a three. In the last two minutes, DJ Quarles scored seven points thanks to a foul, a jumper, and a three-pointer with the clock winding down. The Cats went to the locker room trailing 48-59.

Andrew Dalton converted a traditional three-point play to kick off the Cats’ offense in the second half. Garrett Snyder hit a jumper and Andrew Dalton drained a free throw and with 15:12 left in the game, the Cats trailed 54-68. The Cats could not get the offense going, and didn’t score again until the 11:17 mark when Caleb Faulkner added a bucket. The Golden Eagles on the other hand, continued their hot shooting and built a sizeable lead. A Reece Johnson three put the score at 59-82, and the Cats had a lot of work to do if they hoped to get back in the game. Bryce Butler hit a jumper, drained a pair of free throws, then scored again, but with 5:49 left the Cats trailed 65-93. Jay Baxter assisted Garrett Snyder on a jumper, which turned into a three-point play but JBU was in complete control. Following an Andrew Dalton bucket, the Cats would have a scoreless two minutes. Jay Baxter hit a three to end the drought, but the Golden Eagles ran away with the game, taking the contest 76-102.

Andrew Dalton and Jay Baxter both provided 14 points for the team, while DJ Quarles and Bryce Butler followed with 10 each. DJ Quarles and Jaiden Wilson both brought down 5 rebounds and Quarles also led in assists, dishing out 5.

The Cats will travel to face the Stars of Oklahoma City University on Monday, November 18.