(FULTON, Mo., Jan. 13)--The William Woods University men's basketball team defeated visiting Hannibal-LaGrange University Thursday night. The Owls won the American Midwest Conference match-up 88-76 in Anderson Arena.

William Woods took a 43-30 victory into halftime. Dan Anderson (Jefferson City, Mo.) led the Owls at the break with 14 points. Anderson was 5-for-5 from the field including 2-for-2 from beyond the three-point line. He was also 2-for-3 from the foul line. WWU shot 53.3% from the field in the opening half. The Owls held the Trojans to 34.6% shooting in the first 20 minutes.

Hannibal-LaGrange cut the WWU lead to two points with 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Owls answered the Trojan rally by going on an 11-3 run. WWU kept the momentum and hit their free throws down the stretch to collect their first AMC victory of the season. The Owls were 16-for-19 from the charity stripe in the second half, and 22-for-29 for the game.

Anderson led the Owls with 32 points. He was a perfect 10-for-10 from the field including 4-for-4 from beyond the three-point line. Anderson was also 8-for-9 from the foul line. He also led the Owls with eight rebounds. His 32 points in a new school record for points in a game. He broke his own record of 31 scored against Hannibal-LaGrange on February 11, 2010.

Logan Decker (Kansas City, Mo.) added 15 points and three assists in the WWU win. Andrew Miller (Whangamata, New Zealand) reached double-figures with 12 points. Miller added six rebounds for WWU.

William Woods outrebounded Hannibal-LaGrange 29-22. WWU shot 54.7% from the field in the win. H-LG shot 39.1% from the field in the loss.

The Owls improve to 7-11 on the season and 1-2 in the AMC. The Trojans fall to 4-11 on the year and 0-2 in league play.

The Owls will return to action on January 15. They will travel to Walnut Ridge, Ark., and play AMC rival Williams Baptist College. Tip-off is at 4 pm.