FULTON, Mo. -- After its second buzzer-beater win of the year, this time on a
Matt Helle layup at Hannibal-LaGrange, the William Woods University men's basketball team looks to stretch out to a two-game winning streak on Thursday as Park visits Anderson Arena for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
Earlier This Season
A double-double from
Roy McElroy wasn't enough to overcome a blistering second-half shooting performance from the Pirates in the first meeting between the teams this year in Parkville, Mo. The junior poured in a career-high 18 points and added 14 rebounds, with
Logan Decker,
Jonathon Nutt and
Dontre' Jenkins also finishing in double figures on the night, but the Pirates hit at a .600 pace from the floor after halftime en route to a 85-71 win.
Quick Look - William Woods
WWU picked up its second AMC win of the season at Hannibal-LaGrange last Saturday, turning a nearly broken play into an easy layup for
Matt Helle for a 72-71 win at the buzzer.
Logan Decker leads the Owls with 15.4 pts/gm, with
Jonathon Nutt moving up the charts with 11.2 per game. Nutt has truly picked up his game in league play, averaging 16.1 pts/gm, good for fifth in the AMC. Decker sits just behind Nutt on the league leaderboard in sixth, with an average pace of 15.1 in league action.
Through seven games on the conference slate, the Owls have four players averaging double figures as
Seth Thomas (10.4 pts/gm) and
Roy McElroy (10.1 pts/gm) join Nutt and Decker.
The Owls are strong on the glass, ranking sixth in the country in total rebounds with 1,005 on the year. WWU's per-game pace of 40.2 is good for 21st among NAIA Division I schools and a per-game margin of +4.0 holds down the 34th spot. The Owls are also nationally-ranked on the defensive side of the ball, holding its opponents to a 14th-best shooting pace of .291 from beyond the arc and a 32nd-lowest rate of .412 from the floor.
Decker is also among the top 50 players nationally, holding down the 31st spot in total scoring with 386 and clocking the 42nd-best free throw percentage at .778 on the year. As a team, the Owls have shot at a .430 pace on the year.
Milestone Watch
Having raced past the 1,000-point mark earlier this season,
Logan Decker is within sight of the overall career scoring mark at William Woods. The junior needs just 48 points to surpass
Dan Anderson as the leading scorer all-time for the Owls. Anderson posted the career mark in 112 appearances for the Owls, with Decker on pace to reach the mark within 90 games.
Quick Look - Park
Park brings a 5-3 AMC record into tonight's contest and is currently in the midst of a two-game losing snap. The Pirates struggled from the floor in a 69-58 loss to Columbia last Saturday, opening the game with an eight-minute dry spell.
The Pirates have five players who average double figures on the year, led by Reco Anderson's 15.4 pts/gm. Melvin Gatson is also a threat for the Pirates, with 12.4 pts/gm on the year. Park isn't as strong on the glass, giving up 5.2 rebounds per game to its opponents behind a season average of 33.1 per game. Anderson is the leading rebounder for Park, with 5.4 per contest on the year.
As a team, Park has averaged a .413 clip from the floor and a .318 mark from distance on the year, allowing its opponents to hit at .458 and .322 paces respectively. The Pirates have been outscored by an average of 68.2 to 72.8 through 22 games on the slate.
