FULTON, Mo. – Playing its first home game of the 2016-17 season, the William Woods University Men's Basketball team scored the last five points of the contest to defeat Haskell Indian Nations University, 71-69, on Tuesday night at Anderson Arena.
 
Deon Pettigrew led the Owls with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including going 4-of-6 from downtown. Shannon James followed with 17 points. Klayton Kuschel led the Owls with 13 rebounds in the contest. The Owls shot 45.5 percent from the floor.
 
The Owls return to action on Monday, November 28th when they travel to Bolivar, Missouri to face Southwest Baptist University in an exhibition contest. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
 
Game Flow
William Woods came out scoring as they scored the first four points in the contest, and eight of the first ten points. Six of the first eight points of the Owls were scored in the paint. Haskell slowly started to come back and trimmed the Owls lead down to two, 11-9.
 
After the lead was trimmed down to two points, the Owls went on a 9-0 run capped by a Shannon James two pointer, in the paint, as the Owls led by 11, 20-9. Another jumper in the paint for James put the Owls ahead by 14 points, 29-15, with 8:29 left in the first half.
 
William Woods continued to hold its lead and Haskell trimmed the lead down to nine points, before the Owls answered stretching the lead back to 17 points. Haskell hit a layup as the first half ended and the Owls led by 15 points, 45-30, going to halftime.
 
The Owls continued to hold onto a double-figure lead as a layup by Deon Pettigrew put the Owls ahead 51-33. The lead stayed in the double figures as a three by Pettigrew put the Owls ahead by 17, 54-37. After the Pettigrew three-pointer, Haskell trimmed the lead down to 12 points, capped by a three-pointer by Zach Bruns.
 
WWU stretched the lead back to 17 points, 60-43, after a jumper in the pain by Keith Jackson. After taking the 17-point lead, Haskell started mounting a comeback. Haskell went on a 16-1 run trimming the Owls lead down to two points, 61-59.
 
The Owls lead was stretched back to five points, 64-59, after a Pettigrew three-pointer. However, Haskell responded by scoring the next seven points, taking its first lead of the contest after a T'Salidi Seqouia jumper in the paint.
 
A rebound put back by Kuschel tied the game at 66-66, with 1:51 left in the contest. Haskell came back and answered with a three-pointer by Bruns and Haskell led by three, 69-66, with 1:27 left in the contest.
 
After the Bruns three, the Owls defense locked up and the Owls did not allow Haskell to score again in the contest as the Owls closed out the game by scoring the last five points of the contest to defeat Haskell, 71-69.
 
By the Numbers
7 – WWU hit seven three pointers in the contest
4 – The Owls had four players score in double-figures
18 – Deon Pettigrew led the Owls with 18 points
17 – Shannon James followed Pettigrew with 17 points
4-of-12 – The Owls struggled from the free throw line going 4-of-12
16 – WWU had 16 turnovers in the contest
13 – Klayton Kuschel led the Owls with 13 rebounds
40 – WWU scored 40 points in the paint