Box Score COLUMBIA, Mo.— The William Woods men's basketball team was able to snap its six game losing streak after shooting a season high 53 percent from the field against Avila University, defeating the Eagles 86-78 in the finale of the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic.
After trading baskets early on in the first half, the Owls (2-9; 0-1 AMC) were able to take a 25-21 lead at the 10:25 mark, after
Nate Bitner drained a three-pointer.
WWU continued to hold a slight lead over the Eagles (2-7; 0-2 HAAC) for the next 5:00 minutes, and with 4:51 remaining in the half, the Owls were up by two at 33-31. Then, the team took off on offense, going on a 10-2 run, capped off by a
Patrick Lewis field goal, giving the Owls its largest lead of the game of 10 points at 43-33.
Avila battled back and was only down four at 45-41, after D'Vante Lewis made a two point field goal with .43 seconds remaining, but senior
Jonathon Nutt gave WWU the momentum back on its side heading to the locker room, as the Palmyra, Mo., native hit his field goal attempt with .34 seconds left and put the Owls up 47-41 at the half.
WWU couldn't have played a better first half, shooting a season high 60 percent (18-of-30) from the floor, led by Nutt bouncing back off his eight point performance yesterday against Culver-Stockton, having 14 against the Eagles.
In the second half, the Eagles went on a 12-6 run over 4:00 minutes of play and were able to tie the game up at 53-53. With 15:22 remaining in regulation, Trey Bales made his two point shot from the floor, giving the Eagles its first lead at 55-53, since the 11:34 mark of the first half.
The two teams continued to battle and for the fifth time in the game, the score was all tied at 68-68 with 7:29 left on the clock. On the Eagles next possession, Deron Toliver came down the court and hit a three-pointer, pushing Avila's lead up to three at 71-68.
The Owls offense continued to push and
Ryan Hill was able to give the Owls a 75-74 lead with 3:40 left in the game, after netting both of his free throw attempts.
Hill provided a nice spark off the bench for the team, as the freshman scored a career-high 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting in 17:29 minutes of play.
After losing its first half lead against the Wildcats the night before, the Owls responded well to close out the game, going on an 11-4 run and went on for the eight point victory.
William Woods had four players reach double-figures on the night, led by Nutt scoring 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting. After scoring 20 against Culver-Stockton, Lewis had another strong game, totaling 15 points (7-of-10 shooting) and added a team-high three assists.
Blake Burgess chipped in 13 points (4-of-7 shooting) and tied for the team lead in rebounds with six. The Owls won the board battle having a 40-30 advantage and held the Eagles to a mere 41 percent shooting from the floor.
Avila's team leading scorer Sedrick Johnson and Bales combined for 42 of the teams 78 points on the night. Brandon Murillo was the other Eagle to reach double-figures, netting 18 points on 5-of-14 shooting.
At the conclusion of the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic, guard
Patrick Lewis was named to the All-Classic team for his 17.5 point per game average and shooting 58 percent from the floor. Joining Lewis on the All-Classic team included Sedrick Johnson (Avila), James Johnson, Mario Gulley (Culver-Stockton), and Devin Griffin, Patric Massey (Columbia College).
The Owls will now look to build off this win as they head into American Midwest Conference play against Harris-Stowe State on Jan. 2
nd at Anderson Arena. Tip-off will start at 7:30 p.m.
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com throughout the 2013-14 season for full previews and recaps on the men's basketball team.
