Box Score FULTON, Mo.—The William Woods men's basketball team had four players score in double-figures, which led the Owls to a 77-65 victory over Harris-Stowe State University, earnings its first American Midwest Conference win on the season.

The Owls (3-9; 1-1 AMC), jumped out to a 20-10 advantage over the Hornets (0-13; 0-3 AMC), at the 13:53 mark, after senior Blake Burgess knocked in a two-pointer. The team controlled the next 11:00 minutes, holding a double-digit lead over HSSU, before the Hornets were finally able to cut the deficit to single-digits at 33-24, after Trevor Roberts knocked in two free throws with 2:45 remaining in the half.

William Woods kept the Hornets at a comfortable distance the rest of the half, and headed to the locker room up 36-26. After shooting 60 percent in the first half against Avila, the Owls continued to shoot the ball well, netting 43 percent of his shots, while holding the Hornets to just 26 percent.

Burgess was the leading scorer after 20:00 minutes of play, totaling eight points, while James Kenner had already eclipsed his season average (11.8 points per game), having 12 points in the half.

In the second half, the Hornets jumped out to a 10-4 run, cutting the Owls lead down to 40-36, after Tony Flagg knocked in his lone three-pointer of the game.

The Owls responded with an 8-2 run of their own, capped off by Jonathon Nutt hitting his two point shot, extending the lead back to 10 points at 48-38, with 14:40 remaining.

Harris-Stowe, however, continued to battle and at the 8:07 mark, were down just 60-57, with the momentum starting to swing its way. Then, the deficit was down to one, as Jacob Lloyd, scored off a turnover and put the scoreboard at 60-59.

After a WWU miss on offense, Kenner came down the court and missed his jumper, however, Tony Flagg was there for the offensive rebound and the put-back, giving the Hornets its first lead since it was 1-0 in the first half.

The Owls kept calm on offense, and Burgess was fouled on the team's next offensive possession, giving WWU two free throws. The 70 percent free throw shooter knocked in both and gave the team its lead back at 62-61 with 5:06 left on the clock.

Burgess had a solid game at both ends of the floor, as the Jacksonville, Ill., native, netted 10 points and tied his career-high in rebounds, having 15.  

William Woods was then able to go on a 9-0 run, taking a 71-61 advantage and were able to go on and pick up its second win in a row, holding off the Hornets for the 12 point victory.

"It was a difficult game and not your traditional matchup, as they (Harris-Stowe) played four guards most of the time," said head coach Nick Totta. "So late in the game we tried to match them with guards, it didn't work early on, but we were able to turn it around," he added.

The Owls shot 46 percent in the game, led by Patrick Lewis scoring in double-figures for the third straight game, netting 16 on the night on 7-of-9 shooting. Nutt added 13 points and four rebounds, while Nate Bitner led an Owls bench that out-scored Harris-Stowe 28-7 on the night, totaling 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

"I thought we shared the basketball well tonight, especially in the second half to get four players in double figures," said Totta. "We picked up a good win tonight against a tough Harris-Stowe team that was impressive throughout the night."

HSSU was led by Kenner scoring a game high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting and tied for the team lead in rebounds, grabbing down nine. Flagg, Jacob Lloyd, and Trevor Roberts all played well for the Hornets, totaling 11 points each on the evening.

The Owls will now look for its third straight win on the road against Park University on Saturday. Tip-off against the Pirates will start at 4:00 p.m.

Fans should stay updated on wwuowls.com for full previews and recaps on the men's basketball season.

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