WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – The William Woods University men's basketball team narrowly defeated Williams Baptist University for their fourth straight win. The 76-74 win is the Owls' fourth straight win, bringing them to 9-8 on the season with an undefeated conference record.
 
Makenzie Fessler posted a double-double as he scored a floor-high 30 points.
 
The Owls return home for a three-game home stretch starting with a 7:30 p.m. tip-off versus University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy on Tuesday, Jan. 11.
 
By The Numbers
30 – Makenzie Fessler posted a floor-high 30 points. He hit 11 field goals and went 8-for-10 from the foul line.
16 – Jared Crutcher went 7-for-9 from the field for 16 points.
12 – Makenzie Fessler and Darius Yohe each pulled down 12 boards, and Spencer Yoggerst put up 12 points.
5 – Darius Yohe blocked five shots.
 
Game Highlights
The Owls trailed through the first eight minutes of the game, but back-to-back layups from Jared Crutcher put them in the lead for the first time, 15-14. WBU took the lead back, but the Owls put together a 6-0 run with a Makenzie Fessler layup and two Crutcher layups to take a 21-16 lead with 10:18 to play.
 
The game became a one possession game until a traditional three-point play from Fessler started a 9-0 run with 4:35 on the clock. Seven of the nine points came from Fessler to give the Owls a 10-point lead with 1:39 on the clock, 39-29.  
 
WBU scored the final four points of the half, sending the Owls into break leading by five, 41-36.
 
WBU continued their 8-0 run to start the second half, cutting the game to one just over a minute in.
 
Spencer Yoggerst hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Owls a seven-point lead three minutes in, 49-42. A dunk from Crutcher followed by a layup and free throw from Fessler put the Owls back up by nine with 12:43 to play, 57-48.
 
WBU sparked an 12-2 run over a four-minute span to take a three-point lead with eight minutes to play, 64-61.
 
The Owls trailed over the next few minutes. Fessler's two free throws put the Owls in the lead, but WBU went back up on the next play.
 
A layup from Yohe put the Owls up by one with 3:55 on the clock, and a layup from Fessler gave them a three-point lead.
 
The Owls went 3-4 from the foul line to go up by three with just over two minutes to play after WBU evened the score, 76-73.
 
WBU hit just one of their two free throws to cut the game to two, but neither team scored in the final minute, ending with a 76-74 victory for the Owls.