SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The William Woods University men's basketball team couldn't capture the sweep against Benedictine University at Springfield Saturday night, as the Owls fell to the Bulldogs 54-51.
 
The Owls(7-13; 4-8 AMC) struggled to get the offense going on the night, in a low scoring game that saw both teams score under their season average points, the Bulldogs were able to secure the victory down the stretch and spilt the American Midwest Conference series with William Woods.
 
The Bulldogs jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead, after back-to-back baskets from Darius Stallworth. DJ Johnson would then get WWU on the board with a field goal in the paint, cutting Benedictine's lead to 6-2.
 
Benedictine would then go on to control most of the first half, after a 6-0 run, the Bulldogs would extend its lead to double-digits (18-8) with 10:20 left to play. However, WWU would begin to claw back as Nate Bitner would sink a three pointer at the 5:12 mark, giving the Owls the momentum offensively that they needed, cutting the Bulldogs lead down to 27-21.
 
Shortly after, Derrick Hayes would connect with Bitner, to convert an easy two point field goal, getting the Owls within four points (27-23). Then WWU guards Jarett Boss and Austin Lowery would drain two key back-to-back three pointers, giving WWU its first lead of the game 29-27 with less than a minute till half.
 
Junior, TaiRhe Turner would send the Owls into the locker room with the two point lead 31-29, as William Woods ended the first half shooting 36 percent from the field and were 5-of-12 from beyond the arc.
 
In the second half, Bitner started right where he left off in the first frame, as he hit another three pointer, making the score 34-29 in the Owls favor. Although, the Owls offense ignited a spark, the Bulldogs weren't going down without a fight. BU would take the one point lead at the 13:26 mark, pushing the score to 40-39.
 
Then the Owls offense went cold and the Bulldogs were able to go on a 7-0 run with half of the second frame left to play and that would be arguably be the momentum changer in the game, as WWU would get within two points of the Bulldogs with less than a minute to play but despite the hard battle, the Owls comeback down the stretch fell short, as Benedictine went on to secure the three point victory 54-51, over WWU.
 
William Woods closed the game shooting just 30 percent from the field, after hitting only 7-of-29 of their shots in the second half. Bitner, paced the way for the Owls with 12 points, while Boss added eight points and Lowery chipped in six on the night.
 
The Owls will return to action on Thursday night, as the team will pay a visit to Hannibal-LaGrange College. Tip-off is set for 7:30.
 
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com for a full preview of this AMC match-up.

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