BELLEVILLE, Ill.—Despite having five players reach double-figures in points, the William Woods University men's basketball team suffered a tough 96-91 defeat against Lindenwood University-Belleville on Tuesday night.
The Owls (10-6; 6-2 AMC), shot 46.6 percent from the floor and 44.0 percent from beyond-the-arc, but had its struggles from the line, going 12-of-21 (57.1 percent).
Senior
Kevin House, nearly earned himself a triple-double, as he set a new career-high in points (21), while tying his career-highs in assists (nine) and rebounds (eight). Another senior,
Austin Lowery, went 5-of-8 from downtown and finished with 19 points off the bench, while
Trey Mitchell, had himself a game, scoring 15 points and grabbing down a career-high eight boards.
TaiRhe Turner, went 4-of-7 from the field and tied his season-high with 12 points, while
DJ Johnson added 11 points.
The Lynx (6-9; 3-5 AMC), had six players score in double-figures, as they were led by Sean McGee's season-high 25 points on 7-of-16 shooting. He also added seven assists and six rebounds in just over 30:00 minutes of action.
ShunQuez Stephens, contributed 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while Alex Stuart added 14 points off the bench. Jacobby Anderson, playing in his first game on the year, earned himself a double-double, having 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Collin Mingo and Nate Sims, each totaled 10 points.
It was back-and-forth throughout the first half, but the Owls were clinging to a 22-17 lead, with 7:18 remaining, after
Deon Pettigrew scored off a turnover, which was thanks to
Keyaire Marshall's steal.
After House made both of his free throws, at the 5:46 mark, WWU was up 24-17, but the Lynx would go on a 7-2 run, with McGee's basket in the paint cutting the deficit down to 26-24.
On its next possession, however, Mitchell drained a 3-pointer, with 4:20 remaining, which forced LU-Belleville to take a timeout. The Owls would continue to maintain its advantage, until, with .22 seconds left, Nate Sims sinked his 3-pointer, which tied the score up at 36-all.
William Woods would retake the lead with .06 seconds remaining, as House scored in the paint, but prior to the final horn sounding, McGee, hit a 3-pointer, which put the Lynx up 39-38, after one half of play.
WWU shot 42.4 percent from the field and were led by Mitchell's 13 points, while the Lynx, were held to 37.8 percent and McGee's 10 points were pacing the team. The second half, saw both teams shoot over 47.0 percent from the floor and combine for 110 points.
WWU was able to retake the lead at 48-47, with 15:24 left and then gain some breathing room back at 54-49, after Turner hit a 3-pointer, with 13:56 remaining.
The offense continued rolling for the Owls, as they took its largest lead of the game (58-49), with 12:57 left, after Turner made his two point basket, off an assist from House.
Over the next two minutes, the Lynx, went on a 10-2 run, capped off by Stephens scoring in the paint off an Owls turnover.
William Woods would continue to hold its marginal lead, but with 8:50 on the clock, the Lynx finally got the lead back, as McGee drained his 3-point attempt, which gave them a 66-64 advantage. They were able to cap off its 11-0 run, as Stuart made both of his free throws, which allowed them to grab a 72-64 lead, with 7:19 left.
WWU, would continue to battle, and with just over four minutes remaining, House hit a 3-pointer, off a turnover, which cut the lead down to 79-77. LU-Belleville, however, separated themselves from the Owls again, as they took a 91-83 lead with .45 seconds left.
Lowery would hit a 3-pointer with .05 seconds, narrowing the Lynx lead down to 94-91, but McGee would put the game away, making both of his free throws and handing WWU a four point defeat.
The Owls will look to bounce back on Thursday night, inside Anderson Arena, as they host Williams Baptist College. The Eagles, are coming off a 103-91 upset win over No. 3-ranked Freed-Hardeman University. Tip-off will start at 7:30 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com on Wednesday afternoon for a full preview of Thursday's action.
