WALNUT RIDGE, ARK. – The William Woods University men's basketball will look to get back to its winning ways in American Midwest Conference play Saturday evening, as the team travels to Williams Baptist College for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off.
 
The Owls (3-5; 1-1AMC) are coming off a cold night of shooting in a conference match-up that came right down to the wire, as the team's first AMC loss was in the hands of Hannibal-LaGrange University, 65-63.
 
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.  Jarett Boss and Nate 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.
 
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.
 
William Woods had yet another night with four players recording double-digits, Ryan 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.
 
On the season, Hill continues to lead the Owls offensively, as he has pushed his average to 13.1 points per game and shooting over 50 percent both from the field and three point line. DJ Johnson is averaging 12.1 points per game and leading the team on the boards with 56, while Bitner and Boss are averaging 11.3 and 10.2 points per game, respectively.
 
The Eagles are currently statistically similar to WWU, having an overall record of 3-4 and an AMC record of 2-1. In the team's last outing, they cruised past Missouri Baptist 79-55, leading the way for WBC was John McClain with 19 points. McClain is the leading scorer for the Eagles, as he is averaging 19 points per game and has scored in double digits in every game for Williams Baptist this season.
 
Another player the Owls will have to keep an eye on is forward Tevin Howard, who is averaging 15.8 points per game and leads the team in rebounds with 57 (8.1 per game).
 
The Owls hope to get its offensive spark back on Saturday evening as the Eagles are allowing opponents to score 72 points a game.
 
Fans check back on wwuowls.com for a full recap and score tomorrow night from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. 

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