ROLLA, Mo.—The (RV) William Woods University men's basketball team came up just short in an upset over NCAA Division II Missouri S&T on Sunday afternoon, as the Owls fell 102-97, in an exhibition showdown.
The Owls (9-4; 5-0 AMC), shot 47.6 percent from the floor, 44.4 percent from downtown and converted 29-of-36 (80.6 percent), of its free throws. The team also outrebounded the Miners 42-38 in the outing.
Deon Pettigrew, a Tampa, Florida, native, led the way for WWU, scoring a game-high 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting, while going a perfect 12-of-12 from the charity-stripe. He was a dominant player in the second half, as he totaled 15 points in 19:00 minutes.
Trey Mitchell also had a breakout game, going 8-of-17 from the field and finishing with 23 points.
Austin Lowery, a St. Charles, Missouri, native, netted 17 points off the bench, while
Klayton Kuschel went 5-of-7 from the floor and ended with 10 points.
The Miners (6-5), meanwhile, shot 46.4 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from downtown and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
Leading scorer B.J. McLaughlin netted a team-high 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting, while Telloy Simon added 17 off the bench, after going 5-of-8 from the floor.
Rokas Paulauskas, went a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, finishing with 16 points, while Desmond Buerge and Juwan Miller contributed 13 points each.
Things didn't start out the way the Owls would have liked, as McLaughlin made his layup with 15:17 remaining, to give the Miners a 13-0 advantage.
At the 7:13 mark, WWU cut the lead down to 26-17, after
Keith Jackson, who was making his season debut with the Owls, made both of his free throws.
The team would continue to battle and were able to narrow its deficit down to five (42-37), with .48 seconds remaining, after Pettigrew also made both of his attempts from the line. The Miners would add one more point from the line and headed to the break ahead 43-37.
The Owls shot 41.4 percent from the field in the first half, while even though Missouri S&T fared just a bit better from the floor (42.9 percent), they drained eight 3-pointers, compared to WWU's one.
After trailing 56-45, with 15:32 remaining in the second half, Pettigrew and Mitchell both hit consecutive 3-pointers, which narrowed the lead down to 56-51, with 14:54 remaining.
Lowery's layup .30 seconds later, put the Owls down 56-53, but the Miners responded, going on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes, which gave them some breathing room back at 63-53.
Then, with 11:17 left in regulation, the team trailed 69-60, but went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes and change, capped off by
Darrien Dickey going 1-of-2 from the free throw line, which put WWU down just 69-68.
At the 8:31 mark, the Owls capped off its run, as Lowery scored the layup, off an assist from Dickey, which gave WWU its first lead of the game at 70-69. The advantage, however, was short-lived, as McLaughlin hit his layup on the Miners next possession, to give them its one-point lead back.
William Woods would continue to stay within striking distance as the clock continued to tick down. With 4:02 remaining, Lowery hit another 3-pointer, which again narrowed the lead down to 82-81. The Miners would stretch the lead back out to six at 91-85, with 1:28 left in regulation, after Paulauskas made his layup.
Despite another late charge from the Owls in the final minute of action, the Miners were able to make some important free throws and secure the five-point win over WWU.
The Owls shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the second half, 63.6 percent from downtown and 81.0 percent from the free throw line, but the Miners were just as successful, as they shot 50.0 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from beyond-the-arc.
The team will now get to enjoy the holiday break, before returning to action in front of the home crowd on New Year's Eve, as they host St. Louis College of Pharmacy. Tip-off will start at 2 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated throughout the 2015-16 season for full recaps on the men's basketball team.
