ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The William Woods University men's basketball team saw its three-game winning streak end on Thursday evening when No. 17 Missouri Baptist University defeated the Owls 71-52, in American Midwest Conference action.
 
Brandon Vice led the Owls with 14 points and was the only double-figure scorer for the Owls. WWU shot 32.7 percent in the loss.
 
WWU returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 27 when they head to Columbia, Mo. to face No. 5 Columbia College in AMC action. The Owls and Cougars matchup is the AMC Game of the Week. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
 
Game Flow
The Spartans came out on fire over the first three minutes of the contest as they scored 10 of the first 13 points of the contest. With 16:51 left in the half, Missouri Baptist led 10-3 after a jumper by Andrew Howard. After trailing by seven, WWU slowly mounted a comeback and over the next three minutes WWU tied the game at 13-13 after a Brian Enriquez three.
 
After the three, William Woods was held scoreless for the next three minutes. During that time the Spartans went on a 10-0 run taking a 23-13 lead over WWU. Darrien Dickey got the Owls back on the board with a pair of three throws with 9:13 left in the half.
 
The Owls offense remained cold and four more minutes past before the next Owls points. Enriquez hit a jumper putting the Owls down, 31-17, with 5:47 left. Missouri Baptist grew its lead to 36-17, after a Karson King jumper. WWU trimmed the lead down to 19, 40-21, with 1:27 left in the half. Both teams would go scoreless the rest of the half and Missouri Baptist led the Owls 40-21 at halftime.
 
Over the first three and a half minutes of the second half, the Spartans slowly extended its lead to 24 points, 49-25, after a pair of free throws by Fitzgerald Hopkins. After the Spartans stretched it to as many as 26, WWU's Brandon Vice scored five points and DaShaun Stark scored two trimming the lead down to 19, 51-32, with 11:53 left.
 
Missouri Baptist answered right back getting the lead back to 23 points after a three pointer by James McKelvin. WWU got the lead down to 20, 57-37, with 7:46 left in the contest before the Owls offense went cold.
 
William Woods was held scoreless for three minutes, which saw the lead grow to 29, 66-37. Codi Whitlock got the Owls back on the board with a pair of free throws, ending the scoreless drought. WWU continued to battle and scored the final seven points of the contest but were defeated by Missouri Baptist, 71-52.
 
By the Numbers
14 – Brandon Vice led the Owls with 14 points
9 – The Owls collected nine offensive rebounds in the contest
9 – Darrien Dickey scored nine points for the Owls
6 – WWU dished out six assists in the game
4-for-17 – William Woods was four-for-17 on three-point attempts
13 – WWU committed 13 turnovers against the Spartans
22 – William Woods scored 22 points in the paint
15 – The Owls forced the Spartans into 15 turnovers