Box Score CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Logan Decker (Blue Eye, Mo.) again hit for 16 points for the William Woods University men's basketball team, but it wasn't enough as the Owls fell 82-75 to Mount Mercy University in the finale of the Bosch Financial Shootout.
Seth Thomas (Hannibal, Mo.) added 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting from three point range, while
D.J. Hoskins (Peoria, Ill.) chipped in 10.
The Owls got off to a solid start in the game, opening the scoring with a three pointer by
Demarius Sumrell (Peoria, Ill.) and held even with the Mustangs for most of the first half.
WWU was able to answer a 9-0 run from Mount Mercy with a 7-1 spurt of its own to pull back to 18-20 with 9:38 left in the half. The Owls were able to answer another Mustang spurt and tie the game at 29-29 with 4:31 to go on the strength of a Decker putback.
The Owls weren't able to close out the half, however, going into the locker room trailing 37-45 at the halftime buzzer.
Out of the break, WWU couldn't recover from a 7-3 spurt by the Mustangs, falling by 13 on the night.
William Woods had a better shooting night, finishing with a .458 (27-59) pace from the floor and a .476 (10-21) rate from distance, but the Mustangs knocked down 33 of their 59 efforts from the floor for a .559 pace. The Owls struggled on the glass, as Mount Mercy held a 39-22 edge, including a 27-16 edge defensively.
The Owls return to Anderson Arena on Tuesday night, hosting Avila University. Tipoff for the game, presented by Central Dairy, is set for 7:30 p.m.
