Box Score ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The William Woods University men's basketball team couldn't capture the season series sweep over Harris-Stowe State University on Tuesday night, as the Owls fell 76-67.
 
The Owls (9-17; 6-12AMC) took a 4-2 lead after back-to-back baskets from Derrick Hayes to get the Owls rolling, then after trading baskets for the most of the first half, the Hornets took its first lead of the game and pushed it to six, 29-23 with 7:04 left in the half.
 
WWU then went on a 9-4 run and after a block shot from Nate Bitner, Austin Lowery would bring it down the court and score two-points, to regain the lead and put the Owls up by one, 35-34 at the 2:40 mark.
 
Shortly after, HSSU would close the first frame with the one point lead and head into the locker room with a 41-40 lead over WWU. The Hornets finished the first half shooting over a blistering 50 percent from both the field and three point line.
 
The Owls ended the first frame shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, leading the way was Hayes, netting 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Bitner added 10 points, as the senior was 2-of-3 from downtown.
 
In the second half, the Owls offense came out more aggressively, as the team took a 46-42 lead, after Austin Lowery connected with TaiRhe Turner for an easy two point bucket. Then Turner could take some momentum away from the Hornets in their next possession, as the junior took a charge from a driving HSSU player.
 
WWU would then put together a 6-0 run, extending its lead to six, 48-42 and forcing the Hornets to take a thirty-second timeout. HSSU, however, responded by knocking down two back-to-back three pointers at the 13:57 mark, to regain the lead 51-50.
 
Despite the valiant effort, that would be as close as the Owls would get, as HSSU hit its free throws down the stretch to go on to secure the 76-67 victory over William Woods.
 
WWU closed the game, shooting 45.2 percent (28-of-62) and 30.8 percent from the three point line. There were four Owl players to reach double-figures on the night, Bitner paced the way, totaling 15 points and going 5-of-13 from the field, as Hayes ended the night right behind Bitner, netting 13 points. Ryan Hill collected 11 points, on 4-of-7 shooting and Dj Johnson chipped in 10 points, while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds.
 
The Owls continue its three-game series this week, with another road trip to St. Louis, facing St. Louis College of Pharmacy on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
Fans stay updated on wwuowls.com for a full preview of this match-up. 

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