FULTON, Mo. - Francis Okwuosah provided Anderson Arena a thrill, Saturday afternoon, collecting and cleaning on a buzzer-beating put-back from the block as William Woods downed Roosevelt 54-52 in the final non-conference game for the Owls before the Thanksgiving holiday. 

William Woods set up the game-winner at the horn with a stop on the other end, as Roosevelt went for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 44 seconds remaining, a rebound collected by Lavel Harris before Gacoby Jones Jr. took what could have been a game-winning jumper for the Owls. That ball bounced in to the hands of an already-elevated Okwuosah, who avoided overtime and cleaned up the miss in one motion, a basket that stopped a four-game skid for the Owls and handed Roosevelt its first loss of the season.

For the Owls, it was a fifth-consecutive single-digit game and the second in that stretch with a shot at the buzzer, this time falling in the Woods favor to improve to 3-4.

Henry Shannon led the scoring column for William Woods with 12 points, and Jones chipped in the Owls' other double-digit effort with 11. Malcolm Townsel led all scorers and Roosevelt with 13.

Nate Schwartze hit the game's first basket, a three on the Owls' first possession, but Roosevelt had the game back even with 12:35 in the half, followed by a run to the 9:46 mark and a Townsel layup to make it 17-13. 
 
Roosevelt maintained a single-digit lead over the next four minutes, but with 5:25 in the half, Jones tripled, the second of back-to-back baskets to tie it at 21, and with 1:24, Harris used the glass to put the Owls in front 26-25.
 
A Laker free throw in the final minute sent the game to intermission tied, 26-26, but the Owls covered the first 4:04 of the second half on a 6-2 run and led 32-28 with 15:56 to go on a lay-in by Harris, prompting a Laker timeout.
 
The Owls opened up their lead near the 12:00 mark on a high-arcing triple by Ty'Shon Pannell, but threes on consecutive possessions for Roosevelt two minutes later had the Lakers in front 41-36. Woods chipped away, and Pannell buried another three with 5:00 to go, from the corner in front of the WWU bench, trimming the lead to 48-47.
 
Woods regained the lead from in front of the student section with 2:38 to play, as Jones buried a three to go in front 52-50, and the Owls sealed it as Okwuosah fell away from the basket at the buzzer.

The Owls get a week off before their next game, stepping out of the NAIA and on the road to crosstown rival Westminster, Saturday at 7 p.m.