FRANKFORT, Ky. — Down by 18 points with 7:51 remaining on the second-half clock, the Golden Eagles of fifth-seeded John Brown (Ark.) steamrolled their way to a 65-63 quarterfinal win over seventh-seeded Loyola (La.) at the NAIA National Tournament. John Brown (28-7) advances to the semifinals where they will meet Oklahoma City at 6:00 p.m. on Monday night.
 
The first-half pace of the quarterfinal match-up was measured and deliberate by both teams. Loyola (23-12) scored the first eight points of the game over a three minute period. The Wolf Pack would hold a 10-3 lead before back-to-back long-range buckets by the Golden Eagles' Sierra Shipley made it a 10-9 game.
 
The score differential remained two points or less until Loyola's Laura Brown drained a three with five and one-half remaining on the first half clock - giving the Wolf Pack a five-point advantage (23-18).
 
The Golden Eagles responded by outscoring their opponent 9-5 over the next four and one-half minutes - drawing within one (30-29) on a three-pointer by Morgan Ankrom from the top of the key.  However in the final minute of first-frame action, Loyola's Jeneicia Neeley hit a three-pointer and Jasmine Brewer got a steal and a layup to give Loyola a 35-29 halftime lead.
 
Loyola continued to pour it on for the first 12 minutes of the second half, pushing their advantage to 60-42 when Neeley drained a three-pointer as the shot-clock expired.
 
Despite the enthusiasm generated by that shot, it turned out to be the turning point of the game. John Brown outscored Loyola 23-3 over the final eight minutes.
 
"We are one of the better defensive teams in the nation," said John Brown head coach Jeff Soderquist. "We usually give up 50 points a game and they had 35 at halftime, which is about a 70-point game."

 
"Two of our key players, Kami Garrison and Kortni Barenberg were in foul trouble in the first half. I thought Morgan Ankrom came in and played great the first half. I thought Abbie Warren came in and helped us. Abbie did a great job in the second half, especially defensively in rebounding, and she hits some shots."
 
"Second half we were a lot more aggressive with their pick-and-rolls. The first half we were very passive with their pick-and-rolls. I thought that was the difference."
 
"The key was that by the time we got to the three or four minute mark it was a doable score," said Soderquist. "We chipped away so it was a doable score with three minutes to go."
 
Six different Golden Eagles contribute to the final 23 points, with Barenberg recording half of her total 12 points during that stretch. Brook Barker scored a total of just three points during the game, but it was her timing that was impressive. Barker launched a three-pointer that cleared the net with 8.8 seconds remaining, accounting for the final score.
 
Neeley and the Golden Eagles' Sierra Shipley led all scorers with 18 points each. Shipley also had seven rebounds and three assists.