Hannibal, Mo. -- Matt Helle (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) didn't make a big impact on the scoresheet, but his buzzer-beating layup was immeasurable for the Owls as the William Woods University men's basketball team opened the second half of the conference slate with a 72-71 overtime win over Hannibal-LaGrange on Saturday.
The Owls jumped out to an early lead on back-to-back three point plays -
Roy McElroy (Aurora, Ill.) with the old school bucket and free throw and
Seth Thomas (Hannibal, Mo.) with a more conventional three-pointer - and were up 10-4 with just over three minutes played.
HLG was able to pull level at the 13:12 mark, but a trey by
Jonathon Nutt (Palmyra, Mo.) put the Owls up 15-12, with WWU stretching out to a six-point margin again at the 6:48 mark, up 26-20.
The Owls were able to hold the Trojans at arm's distance until the final two minutes of the half, as HLG rallied to send the teams into the locker room tied 33-33.
The Trojans held on to the momentum from the first-half rally through the break, and put WWU in a 33-43 hole with 14:12 to go.
With 6:19 to go, WWU found itself trailing 45-57, but was only able to muster one point over the next two and a half minutes - on a
Logan Decker (Kansas City, Mo.) free throw - but by holding HLG scoreless over the same stretch the Owls kept the game within sight.
With 3:33 to go, Decker would spark a 13-point run for the Owls, drawing a foul as he made a fast-break layup, converting the three-point play. Nutt and Thomas added five each down the stretch, with Nutt knocking down a trey off the dime from Jenkins with 27 seconds left to put WWU up 59-57.
HLG was able to force overtime with a jumper at the buzzer from Drew Jefferson, and the Trojans opened up the bonus frame with a three-point play.
Five straight points from
Jonathon Nutt put WWU back in front 64-62 before a minute had elapsed, as he knocked down a trey then swiped the ball from Chris Smith and streaked downcourt for a layup. The Owls stayed in front for most of the OT period, before a Arii Meuel trey gave HLG a 71-70 lead with less than 15 seconds to go.
Having missed on both of his previous attempts in the contest, Helle seemed the most unlikely of heroes for the Owls, but he found himself open in the lane, collecting a pass from Decker and laying the ball in as the buzzer sounded for the win.
The Owls shot .387 for the contest, but posted a solid .625 mark from beyond the arc in the second half to close at a .421 clip for the game. Nutt led four Owls in double figures with 18 on the night, with Thomas adding 16, Decker knocking in 15 and Jenkins adding 12. Jurgen Lico led all scorers with 19 on the night.
WWU moves to 11-14 on the season and 2-5 in AMC play. The Owls will return to Anderson Arena on Thursday night, hosting Park University in a 7:30 p.m. tip.
