FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University men's basketball team drop a tough match-up against Williams Baptist College on Saturday evening, as the team couldn't overcome being outscored 38-19 in the second half.
 
The Owls (8-14; 5-9 AMC ) knew that this was a key American Midwest Conference game and came out of the gates with the momentum, as junior Austin Lowery gave WWU the spark after he nailed his first three pointer of the game, at the 16:11 mark, giving the Owls a 7-4 lead.
 
Then after trading baskets with the Eagles in the next couple possessions, Nate Bitner would spot up on the wing and drain a three pointer, pushing the Owls to its largest lead of the half, 16-9 with 13:08 left in the half.
 
WWU, however then had a cold spell, which allowed WBC to go on a 9-0 run, as the Eagles would take the lead, after a William Woods turnover and a field goal from Carter Clerveaux, making the score 20-18.
 
The Owls would then stay determined to claw back one basket at a time for the remainder of the first frame, after two William Woods free throws at the 1:36 mark, tying the game for the fourth time at 35-35, the Eagles would connect on a field goal trying to gain the liveliness going into halftime.
 
Although, with .5 seconds on the board, the Owls would grab a rebound and quickly get the ball up the court to Jarett Boss, who was set up on the wing and would sink a three pointer at the buzzer. The basket would give WWU the 38-37 lead heading into the locker room.
 
Lowery, was the spark plug in the first half, as the guard paced the Owls with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and hitting 3-of-5 from the three point line. WWU shot a blistering 55 percent from the floor and even better, 58 percent (7-of-12) from beyond the arc, while holding the Eagles to 48 percent from the field.
 
Despite the valiant effort in the first half, the Owls came out in the second half going cold from the floor, while the Eagles scored the first eight points of the half,  putting together a 8-0 run that pushed WBC lead up to seven, 45-38.
 
Shortly after, Lowery, tried to get the Owls offense going, as he made his fourth three pointer of the night, cutting Williams Baptist lead down to just four points, 45-41.
 
At the 9:53 mark, William Woods come get within one of the Eagles, after a two point field goal from Derrick Hayes, making the score 57-56 still in the favor of WBC.
 
That would be as close as the Owls would get, as WBC would control the rest of the final frame of the game, going on a 13-1 run to secure the 73-57 victory over WWU.
William Woods closed the game shooting a 43 percent from the floor and after hitting seven three pointers in the first half, the Owls only connected on 2-of-5 in the second half, while only making it to the free throw line six times in the game.
 
Lowery, the St. Charles native, ended the night recording a career-high 20 points, on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-7 from downtown. Bitner, was also hot from the three point line, as the senior totaled 12 points on the night, all coming from beyond the arc, while Hayes chipped in six points and grabbed a team-high five rebounds.
 
Williams Baptist finished the night, shooting a 46 percent from the field, while having four players, for the second time this season against the Owls, ending in double-digits, to give them its tenth AMC win.
 
The Owls will return to the court next Thursday, as the team heads on the road to Lyon College for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
Fans check back on wwuowls.com for a full preview of this AMC match-up.

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