Box Score FULTON, Mo. -- After opening the game with a 15-0 run, the William Woods University men's basketball team never looked back as they rolled to an 81-64 win over Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday afternoon. The Owls held the Indians scoreless for nearly five minutes to start the game en route to the victory.
The Owls took advantage of Haskell's willingness to give up three-pointers, as they opened and closed the 15-point run with treys.
D.J. Hoskins (Peoria, Ill.) opened the scoring with a triple off an assist from
Seth Thomas (Hannibal, Mo.) on WWU's first possession, then returning the favor with 15:41 left in the half, feeding Thomas for his second three-pointer in as many possessions for the Owls.
Haskell finally opened its account with just under five minutes played, with Grant Proctor knocking down a pair of free throws, but the visitors weren't able to close the gap. William Woods answered the free throws with a bucket from
Jonathon Nutt (Palmyra, Mo.) to keep the margin at 15.
After taking a 39-22 lead into the locker room at the break, William Woods opened the second half with a 14-4 run to stretch its margin to 27. The Owls held on to that margin comfortably down the stretch, with Haskell only able to pull within 20 as head coach
Nick Totta cleared the bench in the final two minutes.
Thomas led all scorers in the game with 21 points, with Hoskins coming up just shy of the double-double with nine rebounds to go with 12 points. Nutt was also in double-figures for the Owls with 15. Jacey Estes led the scoring for Haskell with 17 points, with Jarvis Skunk chipping in 11.
The Owls, who move to 4-7 on the year, finished the night shooting at a .500 (30-60) pace from the floor and hit at a .480 (12-25) clip from distance, both season highs. After shooting a dismal .276 (8-29) from the floor in the first half, Haskell recovered to finish the game at a .385 (25-65) pace.
William Woods takes a brief respite from the regular season slate on Saturday, as they will visit NCAA Division II University of Central Missouri in an exhibition game. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
