FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University men's basketball team topped ranked Columbia College Thursday evening, 54-47. Columbia received 43 votes in the third edition of the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, released Tuesday. The win brings the Owls to 4-6 on the season with a 4-4 conference mark.
 
The Owls will flip and play Columbia on the road on Tuesday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m.
 
By The Numbers
17 – Jared Crutcher shot 80% from the field (8-for-10 FG) for at floor-high 17 points.
15 – Makenzie Fessler added 15 points to the win (6-for-15 FG).
9 – Nine of the 10 players that saw minutes had at least one rebound. 
7 ­– Jared Crutcher pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
6 – Darius Yohe pulled down six boards.
3 – Jared Crutcher blocked three shots. 
 
Game Flow
The Owls won the tip and scored on the first play with a down low bucket from Makenzie Fessler. With just over five minutes off the clock, Jared Crutcher put in a bucket in the paint to give the Owls a five-point lead, 8-3.
 
Columbia scored the next two including a fast break layup to even the score with 13:20 on the clock, but Tyriel Nelson hit a three on the next play to put the Owls back up, 11-8.
 
Back-to-back buckets from Crutcher gave the Owls a seven-point lead with 11:09 on the clock, and a short jumper by Fessler gave the Owls a nine-point advantage, 20-11.
 
Columbia cut the game to six with 8:18 on the clock, but over the next four minutes, the Owls put up five while holding Columbia scoreless to take an 11-point lead, 27-16.
 
The Owls were unable to score in the final four minutes of the half while Columbia put up eight to bring the game within three heading into halftime, 27-24.
 
Columbia evened the score twice to start the second half and took their first lead of the game with a three with 12:42 on the clock, 34-33. 
 
A hook shot from Fessler put the Owls back up by one, but Columbia again took the lead with two free throws. 
 
The lead changed five more times with three ties in there over the next six minutes. 
 
Matt Burgess tied the game for the sixth time with a fast break layup with 6:50 on the clock, and the Owls took the lead with a Darius Yohe bucket, 45-43.
 
Columbia's two good free throws again evened the score, but a three from Andrew Nett gave the Owls a three-point lead, 48-45.
 
Back-to-back buckets from Makenzie Fessler following a key Columbia turnover with 2:29 on the clock gave the Owls a five-point advantage, 52-47.
 
Neither team had any luck getting the ball in the hoop over the next two minutes. 
 
The Owls added two more points on free throws after Columbia resorted to fouling to stop the clock as 19 seconds were on the board.
 
Columbia attempted a three with 14 seconds on the clock, and Nett pulled down the rebound. Columbia accepted defeat, and the Owls celebrated a 54-47 win.