Box Score LAMONI, Iowa.- The William Woods men's basketball team couldn't overcome a 19 point first half deficit against Graceland University, falling 94-86.
The Owls (1-6), jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, as senior
Seth Thomas made the team's first shot of the game. The team, however, went cold from the field as the Yellow Jackets went on a 19-4 run over a 7:00 minute span to take a 19-6 lead with 11:56 remaining.
Graceland (7-2) was able to push its lead up to a half high 19 points at 32-13, after Carl Martin nailed a three pointer with 6:30 remaining. The Yellow Jackets were able to maintain its double-digit advantage the rest of the half and headed to the locker room up 50-31 over the Owls.
Turnovers were a problem in the first half for WWU, as the team had 17, while only forcing Graceland to make seven. GU shot 50 percent (19-for-38), led by Jamal Lawson having 14 points, while the Owls shot 40 percent (9-for-22), with
Blake Burgess having a nice start netting nine points.
The hot shooting Yellow Jackets couldn't be slowed down in the beginning of the second half, going on a 12-3 run and held a game high 28 point lead over WWU at 62-34 with 16:57 left in regulation.
As has been shown in nearly every game this season, the Owls are not a team that is going to give up and for the next 7:00 minutes, after trailing by 28, the team started to cut down the Yellow Jacket lead one possession at a time.
The Owls were able to go on an impressive 31-12 run and now trailed only by 12 at 74-62 with just under 10:00 minutes to play. The momentum really shifted the team's way, as
Jonathon Nutt drained a three pointer, putting Graceland's lead in single-digits at 74-65 for the first time since they led 13-6 early in the first half.
WWU's defense continued to put strain on the Yellow Jackets offense for the next 3:00 minutes, which allowed the Owls to only be down just five points, after
Jayson Saldana hit his field goal with 5:51 remaining.
The Yellow Jackets were able to extend its lead and gain some breathing room back up to 11 points after Isaiah Miller went one-for-two from the free throw line. The Owls, however, came right down the court and it was Nutt again hitting a three pointer, putting the score at 84-76 with just under 3:00 minutes left.
Nutt was impressive all night for the Owls, scoring a game and career high 27 points on 8-for-18 shooting. The Palmyra, Mo., native has now scored double-digits in all of the seven games this season for the team.
The huge comeback victory, however, wasn't in the cards for WWU, as the Yellow Jackets were able to hold off a surging Owls team and go on for the eight point victory, handing William Woods its third straight loss.
The Owls played much better in the second half, only having four turnovers and shooting 47 percent from the field, including 50 percent (9-for-18) beyond the three point arc.
Burgess, had another strong night, finishing with 16 points on 5-for-12 shooting and seven rebounds.
Patrick Lewis has now had great back-to-back games off the bench, chipping in 12 points on the evening, while teammate
Nate Bitner scored 11 points in 14:48 minutes of play off the bench.
After closing out the first half and starting the second half on fire from the floor, the Yellow Jackets finally cooled down and shot 49 percent from the field. Lawson recorded a double-double for Graceland, netting 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting and grabbed down a game high 11 rebounds.
Austin Danner, who beat the Owls at the final buzzer at Anderson Arena, ended the game with 18 points and five rebounds, while Max Francisco contributed 15 points.
The Owls will now return home for a American Midwest Conference showdown on Thursday night against crosstown rival and No. 4 ranked Columbia College. Tip-off will start at 7:30 p.m. at Anderson Arena.
