COLUMBIA, Mo. – The William Woods University men's basketball team couldn't pick up the rival upset on Thursday night, as the team suffered a 83-55 loss to the No. 13 ranked Columbia College.
The Owls (11-18; 8-13AMC), had its two game winning streak snapped on a cold night shooting, as the Cougars came out of the gates strong, out scoring the Owls 37-20 in the first frame.
Columbia College jumped out to a early 14-2 lead, after a three pointer from Tanner Sutton at the 14:14 mark. However, the next possession for WWU,
Nate Bitner would try to give the Owls offense a boost of energy, as the senior drained a three pointer from the top of the key, cutting the Cougars lead back down to single digits (14-5).
Then after trading baskets in the last 10:00 minutes of the first frame, CC would on 10-2 run to close the out the first frame and head into the locker room with its largest lead of the game, 37-20.
In the first half WWU shot 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from the floor, as Bitner led the way netting seven points. Columbia College shot a 46.7 percent from the field and forced the Owls to commit 13 turnovers in the first 20:00 minutes of play. Although WWU controlled the boards, out rebounding the Cougars 18-14.
In the second half, the Cougars came out right where they left off, going on a 7-0 run, extending its advantage to 44-20. WWU guard, Alex Mulvihill would get into the action, scoring the Owls first bucket of the second half, at the 17:13 mark and making the score 46-24.
Shortly after, off a Owls turnover, CC would come up and convert on a lay-up from Jackson Dubinski, pushing their lead to the largest of the match-up, 60-30. Just like all season, the Owls were going to fight till the end, as Bitner would hit his third three of the night with 3:32 minutes left. Despite William Woods effort, CC would control the rest of the final frame and go on the secure the 28 point victory (83-55) over the Owls.
The Owls closed out the game shooting better in the second frame, ending the night shooting 32 percent from the floor and 29.4 percent from the three point line. Bitner paced the Owls, totaling 17 points, going 3-of-9 from beyond the arc, while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Darrien Dickey finished the night with seven points, collecting five of his points from the free throw line, while Mulvihill,
Jerel Wilhite,
Ryan Hill and
TaiRhe Turner chipped in six points a piece.
Columbia College ended the night shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from the three point line, while Junior Jobe Dillard ended the night with a game-high 20 points. CC defense was just as strong as their offense, forcing the Owls to commit 22 turnovers on the night, which could arguably been a factor in the match-up.
The Owls return to action on Saturday afternoon, as the team pays a visit to Missouri Baptist University for its final regular season game of the year and the season series sweep over the Spartans. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.
Fans check back on wwuowls.com for a full preview of this match-up.
