FULTON, Mo.- Despite having three Owl players reach double-figures on the night, The William Woods University men's basketball team fell 95-84, in the hands of Lindenwood University-Belleville on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Owls(9-16;  6-11 AMC) who were in search of its 10^th win on the season, certainly came out of the game with the momentum to capture it Saturday afternoon, as the team jumped to a quick 7-1 lead over the Lynxs, after a field goal from Austin Lowery.
 
The Owls would then extend its lead to 32-25, its largest of the half, after a Nate Bitner two-pointer at the 7:25 mark. LU, however, responded by going on a 9-2 run, as leading scorer Craig Anderson hit a field goal and tied the game at 34-34 with 5:06 left in the first half.
 
After controlling most of the first frame, the Owls went cold from the floor in the last minutes till half, as the Lynxs took its first lead of the game at the 4:30 mark, making the score 36-34. LU would hold onto its lead to close the first 20:00 minutes of play, heading into the locker room with a six-point advantage over WWU, 47-41.
 
In the first frame both teams shot over a red hot 55 percent from the field, leading the way for the Owls was Derrick Hayes, as he netted 11 points, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
 
In the second half, LU-Bellevile came out with urgency, as the team pushed its lead to double-digits for the first time in the game (51-41). Then at the 13:17 mark Lindenwood-Belleville would extend its advantage out to a game-high 16 points at 65-49. However, that would not stop the Owls, as WWU responded by chipping away from the Lynxs lead one possession at a time.
 
As the time continued to tick down in the final frame, WWU would go on a 8-1 run, as Lowery connected with Klayton Kuschel inside the paint for a two point field goal,  getting the Owls within three points (79-76) of LU-Belleville. Although, that would be as close William Woods would get, as the Lynxs hit the necessary free throws down the stretch and held off WWU for the 11 point win and sweep the regular season series.
 
The Owls ended the game shooting 49.3 percent from the field, going 3-of-9 from the three-point line and posting 84 points on the afternoon, which was the highest total as a team since December 6^th earlier this season.
 
Bitner, the Kearney, Missouri native, paced the way for WWU, as the senior totaled 19 points and seven rebounds, while he was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Ryan Hill chipped in 15 points, on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and also had an impressive night from downtown, draining 3-of-4. The last Owl to end the afternoon in double figures was Hayes, as the senior posted 13 points.
 
LU-Belleville closed out the game shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from the three-point line. As hot as the Owls offense was, the team didn't have an answer for the American Midwest Conference leading score Anderson, who ended the match-up with a game-high 29 points, while three other Lynxs ended the afternoon in double digits, as the four totaled 72 of the teams 94 points.
 
"We made strides tonight offensively but didn't contend the basketball on the defensive side," said assistant coach James Hays. "We were pleased with the offensive effort but we gave up too many offensive rebounds."
 
Hays added, "We played well enough offensively to win and will need to rest up for next week's three game schedule.
 
The Owls return to action in a busy week, as the team hits the road next Tuesday, visiting Harris-Stowe State University for a 7:30 tip-off, then facing  St. Louis College of Pharmacy on Thursday night and finally rounding up the week back at home for a match-up against Park University Saturday afternoon.
 
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com for full previews and recaps of next week's action for the Owls. 

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