LAWRENCE, Kan.—The (RV) William Woods University men's basketball teams' six game win streak was snapped on Saturday afternoon, as the Owls fell to Haskell Indian Nations, 94-83.
The Owls (7-4; 4-0 AMC), shot 43.9 percent from the floor and were led by senior
Kevin House, who tied his season-high with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and going 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Reigning American Midwest Conference (AMC) Player of the Week,
Deon Pettigrew, reached the double-figure mark for the sixth consecutive game, totaling 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting.
Klayton Kuschel had a strong game, having 13 points (6-of-7 shooting) and a team-high seven boards, while
Austin Lowery added 11 points.
Haskell Indian Nations (3-9), meanwhile, couldn't miss from anywhere on the floor, as they shot a season-high 58.5 percent from the floor, 55.0 percent from downtown and 80.0 percent from the free throw line.
Duelle Gore had himself a game, as he totaled a career-high 33 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including going 11-of-12 from the free throw line.
Tsalidi Sequoyah, earned himself a double-double, having 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while Joe Moudy and Dallas Rudd contributed 10 points each.
In the first half,
Trey Mitchell's two-pointer in the paint at the 14:19 mark, tied up the score at 12-12. The Indians, however, would go on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes and expand its lead out to 25-14, capped off by a Sequoyah two-pointer.
The Owls, would continue to battle and with 5:27 remaining in the first, the team narrowed the Indians advantage down to 32-27, after Kuschel went 1-of-2 from the line.
HINU, who shot 53.6 percent from the floor in the first 20:00 minutes, couldn't be slowed down, stretched its lead back out to 44-30, with 1:49 left, after Gore made both of his free throws. WWU would close out the half on a 4-0 run and headed into halftime, down by 10 (44-34).
WWU shot 38.7 percent from the floor and were led by Lowery's nine points, while Gore, already had 20 points. The Indians, also controlled the boards in the first half, holding an advantage of 21-14.
In the second half, after trailing 52-40, the Owls would go on a 5-0 run, with Pettigrew hitting a two-pointer and Mitchell draining a 3-pointer at the 14:15 mark, which cut the lead down to seven (52-45).
The Owls would continue to keep it close, as with 10:30 remaining, Kuschel grabbed down the offensive board, scored the put-back and put the scoreboard at 60-54.
The Indians, however, would get the lead back to double-digits at 68-57, after Marcus Middleton hit both of his free throws with 8:23 on the clock. In less than a minute, though, the Owls were again down by six, as Pettigrew scored on the fast break, which was started by a House steal.
That would be as close as they would get, with Gore hitting a huge 3-pointer with 4:09 left, to put the Indians ahead 79-69. HINU was able to maintain its lead the final four minutes of action and secure the 11-point win over the Owls.
William Woods shot an improved 48.6 percent from the floor in the second half, but HINU, shot an even better 64.0 percent from the field.
The Owls will have another tough outing on the road, as they pay a visit to Missouri Valley College on Monday night, in hopes of sweeping the season series. Tip-off starts at 7:30 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com on Monday evening for a full recap and score from Marshall, Missouri.
