LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Midseason transfer
Jack Wetzel made the most of his debut for William Woods, tying a program record with seven three-pointers as the Owls (10-5) trampled Arkansas Baptist (2-11) 90-49 on Saturday afternoon. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, junior was one of five Owls in double figures in the contest.
Although there were three ties and five lead changes in the game, all of them took place inside the first 4:02, with
Henry Shannon III knocking down a pair of free throws with 15:58 left in the first half to put Woods in front for good at 7-6. He added a second-chance layup off a turnover to spark a 12-0 run as the Owls jumped out to a 17-6 lead.
Jabez Sims tried to put a pause in the run, pulling the Buffaloes within eight as he knocked down a three with 11:25 on the clock, but it was a hiccup at best.
Nate Schwartze hit a triple a minute later to kick off a 21-8 run by the Owls, giving WWU a 38-17 lead with just under four minutes until halftime. Wetzel knocked down a pair of his seven triples during the run, with Schwartze nailing three.
Wetzel also showed off his passing chops at the buzzer, finding
Tre Titus for a three that sent WWU into the locker room with a 46-24 lead.
The Buffaloes were able to keep pace with Woods for the opening seven minutes of the half, as the Owls struggled to adjust to the backdrop on the opposite end of the gym. ABC shot 3-7 over the stretch, with Sims accounting for nine of ABC's 12 points. Woods managed a dismal 4-11 pace over the same 6:40, but held onto a 58-36 lead.
Woods flipped the script on its next 11 field goal attempts, however, connecting on nine to blow the game open with a 20-2 run.
Kyle Belgrave II punctuated the run with a dunk at the 9:43 mark and the Owls defense held ABC to just a pair of free throws over a 5:45 stretch. Back-to-back buckets by
Francis Okwuosah capped the run and gave WWU a 78-38 lead with 7:35 to play.
Arkansas Baptist was finally able to hit a field goal, stopping the WWU run with a Terrence Stewart dunk, but the damage was done and WWU held the Buffaloes at arm's length down the stretch.
The Owls shot 52.4 percent (33-63) for the game and held Arkansas Baptist to 23.4 percent (11-47) shooting, connecting on 15 three-pointers, the third-most in program history. Woods also held a considerable edge in the rebounding battle, hauling in more defensive rebounds (32; 47 total) than total rebounds (23; 8 off, 15 def) than the Buffaloes. WWU also led in all five specialty categories, including a 52-6 edge in scoring off the bench.
William Woods returns to American Midwest Conference action next Saturday, hosting Columbia College. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
