Box Score
FULTON, Mo.-- A 20-point effort from
D.J. Hoskins wasn't enough as the Owls lost a 63-62 heartbreaker to Benedictine University at Springfield on Thursday night.
BenU Springfield shot a blistering .609 in the second half and a missed one-and-one opportunity in the closing seconds handed the Owls their fourth consecutive loss.
Hoskins got the scoring started with a game-opening three-pointer that sparked a 13-2 Owl's run in the first 3:30. The trifecta would be the first of seven first half three-point field goals for William Woods.
The Bulldogs cut the Owls lead to 18-11 after a pair of free throws at the 10:24 mark and Jordan Michels' trifecta brought the Bulldog deficit to 18-14, forcing head coach
Nick Totta to take a timeout.
Out of the timeout,
Logan Decker responded with a three-pointer of his own to put William Woods back up seven at 21-14 with 9:34 left in the first stanza. A pair of three-point baskets from
Seth Thomas and Hoskins brought the Owls lead back into double-digits at 29-16.
BenU Springfield kept chipping away at WWU's lead and pulled the deficit to 31-28 after a Stephen Shepherd layup with 1:37 left in the half.
Hoskins drilled his third three-pointer of the half to give WWU a 34-29 lead going into the locker room.
William Woods extended its lead to 39-31 in the second half after a
Logan Decker basket, forcing BenU Springfield to burn a timeout at the 16:25 mark.
Once again, the Bulldogs chipped away at the WWU lead as a quick 10-2 run tied the game at 41-41. A Jeremic Bennett layup gave BenU Springfield its first lead of the game at 43-41 with 13:42 remaining.
William Woods had several chances to take the lead midway through the second stanza but they would hit a dry spell that lasted nearly three minutes. A Michels' three-point basket gave the Bulldogs a 51-47 lead with 8:37 left in the game.
Blake Burgess would give the Owls the lead back at 52-51 after he nailed a layup at the 7:09 mark, forcing BenU Springfield to take its second timeout of the half.
With 5:30 left to play the Bulldogs would reclaim the lead after a Shepard layup and extended its advantage to 55-52 with four minutes remaining in the game.
An acrobatic offensive rebound and assist from Dontre Jenkins to Hoskins put the Owls down one point with 3:36 left.
Jonathon Nutt reclaimed the lead for William Woods at 57-56 with a clutch three-point field goal at the 2:56 mark.
Decker pushed the Owls lead to 60-56 with the team's 10th three-point field goal of the night, but a Shepherd three-point play brought the Bulldogs within one point with 1:17 on the clock.
Nutt had a chance to pad the lead for William Woods but missed the front end of a one-and-one as BenU Springfield collected the rebound and called a timeout down 62-61.
Reggie Thomas nailed a layup to give the Bulldogs a 63-62 lead with seven seconds remaining as the Owls called a timeout with 94-feet to go.
William Woods got a good look at the basket but Burgess missed a runner as time expired to seal the 63-62 victory for Benedictine University at Springfield.
The loss is the fourth in a row for William Woods as they drop to 5-4 in AMC play and 9-13 overall. Benedictine University at Springfield improves to 2-7 in conference play and collects its fifth win in school history to improve to 5-16.
Hoskins paced the Owls with 20 points; the senior guard drained three three-point field goals in the loss. Decker (11 points) and Nutt (10 points) were the only other Owls in double-figures.
Both teams ended up tied in rebounds as
Daniel Armah collected a game-high 10 caroms to improve his double-digit rebounding streak to four games.
William Woods will be back on action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Harris-Stowe State University. Tipoff time for the game is approximately 4 p.m.
