BELLEVILLE, Ill.– The William Woods University men's basketball team grabbed a win over Lindenwood University-Belleville Tuesday evening, 89-80. The win marked Coach James Hays' 50th win with the Owls program. The win brings the Owls to 16-9 on the season while keeping the Owls locked in second place in the American Midwest Conference with a 13-5 mark.
 
Treshawn Gause led the Owls in points and rebounds, tying his season-high with 21 points and pulling down seven boards. Four players scored in double figures, and the team shot over .500 the entire night.
 
The Owls return home for their final three home contests, beginning with Lyon College on Thursday, Feb. 14. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
 
Game Flow
LUB jumped out to a 10-point lead after five minutes of play. They maintained the lead throughout most of the first half, but the Owls kept the score within single digits.
 
Two field goals from David Johnson Jr. and two good free throws from Gause with 6:51 on the clock gave the Owls their first lead since the opening minute of the game. 
 
The lead switched five times over the next two minutes, and Shad Kimble tied the game up twice over the next minute as he went 4-for-4 from the foul line. With his final free throw, he took back the lead. 
 
LUB once again took the lead though, going up by two with 2:03 on the clock. 
 
With the Owls in bonus, Codi Whitlock took advantage and scored the final four points of the half from the foul line to give the Owls a four-point lead heading into half, 49-45. 
 
Coming out of halftime, the Owls never let their lead go. LUB brought the game within one coming out of the locker room with a three, but Gause scored the next four to take a five-point lead.
 
The Owls held LUB scoreless for just over three minutes while putting up six to take an eight-point lead, 61-53. 
 
Over a two-minute span halfway through the second half, the Owls pushed a second small run to take their lead into double digits, 70-59.
 
With 4:32 left in the game, Kimble hit a jumper to give the Owls a 15-point lead, their largest of the game.
 
LUB hit a 7-0 run late in the game to cut the score to eight, 82-74, but Andrew Nett went 2-for-2 from the foul line in bonus to put the Owls back up by 10 with 1:55 to play. 
 
LUB took full advantage of two WWU fouls late in the game, going 4-for-4 to bring the game within five with 1:00 remaining. They had to resort to fouling to stop the clock though, enabling the Owls to close out the game with a nine-point win, 89-80.
 
By The Numbers
.534 – The Owls shot .534 from the field. 
50 – Coach Hays has 50 career wins with the Owls under his belt.
21 – Treshawn Gause put up 21 points as he went 8-for-11 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.
16 – Shad Kimble added 16 points to the win as he went 6-for-6 from the foul line.
13 – Andrew Nett added 13 points to the mix.
7 – Gause pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.