FULTON, Mo. – In another down to the wire American Midwest Conference match-up, the William Woods University men's basketball team could overcome a nine point first half deficit against Hannibal-LaGrange University, falling 65-63.
 
The Owls (3-5; 1-1AMC), jumped to a quick 3-2 lead, as senior Nate Bitner buried a three-pointer at the top of the key. The team, however, couldn't get into an offensive groove and went cold at the end of the first half.
 
The first frame was not a good shooting performance for either team, as both teams shot under 50 percent from the line.
 
Hannibal was able to push its lead to a half high 11 points 34-23, after Taylor Wells nailed a three pointer with less than a minute remaining. Owls leading scorer, Ryan Hill would cut the Trojans 11 point lead to nine, after collecting two free-throws right before halftime and yet, HGL would head into the locker room with a 34-25 advantage over the Owls.
 
Turnovers were a problem in the first half for the Owls, as the team had 10, while only forcing HGL to make five. Hannibal shot a 40 percent (12-for-30) from the floor, led by Jay Jones having eight points, while the Owls shot a 41 percent (7-for17), with freshman Darrien Dickey having a nice start, netting eight points.
 
The Owls also struggled at the charity stripe in the first 20:00 minutes of play, which could have arguably been a key factor in the game, as the team only shot 50 percent, going 10-for-20.
 
Despite having a cold shooting first half, the Owls came out of the locker room and began to cut down the Trojans lead possession by possession.  Jarrett Boss and Bitner would light a spark for the comeback, as they would sink back-to-back three pointers and give the Owls offense a boost, pulling the team within five points of the Trojans, 35-40.
 
With 11:06 minutes of play remaining, WWU would tie the game up at 42-42, after DJ Johnson hit a field goal along the baseline, proving to be a team that fights till the end. William Woods defense would continue to put pressure on the Trojans offense for the next 5:00 minutes, which allowed the Owls to take its first lead of the second half 47-44, after another Johnson field goal.
 
HGL was able to extend its lead and gain some breathing room back up to eight points, as the Trojans went on a 8-0 run to give them a late surge in the half, putting the score at 59-51 with just under 3:00 minutes left.
 
The Owls, however weren't going down without a fight, as Boss hit an impressive three-pointer, cutting the Trojans lead down to five points 59-54. After a pair of Hannibal free-throws, Dickey went coast to coast and converted inside the paint, getting the Owls within three points with .26 seconds remaining.
 
The second half comeback just wasn't in the cards for WWU, as the Trojans were able to hold off a surging Owls team and go on for the two-point victory that came down to a last minute shot at the buzzer, handing William Woods its first AMC loss.
 
The Owls played better in the second half, committing only four turnovers and shooting a 47 percent from the floor, holding the Trojans to a game-low field goal percentage of 38. Although, WWU still struggled at the free throw line, ending the night shooting a 43.5 percent (10-for-23) as a team.
 
William Woods had yet another night with four players recording double-digits, Hill led the way with 14 points, making it the fourth consecutive game ending the night scoring in double-digits. He also collected a team-high seven rebounds.
 
Boss, had another strong night off the bench, finishing with 11 points shooting a 44 percent from the floor and going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. while Dickey and Bitner both chipped in 10 points on the night.
 
The Owls head on the road for another AMC showdown on Saturday evening, as the team pays a visit to Williams Baptist College and looks to get over the .500 mark in conference play. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.
 
Fans check back on wwuowls.com for a full preview of this match-up.

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