PARKVILLE, Mo. - William Woods University (3-0) did what it had already done twice before this season, playing lockdown defense in the second half - didn't allow a single point in the final 2:32 - as it eked out a 65-64 victory over host Park University (0-2) in the Remy Williams Memorial Invitational Saturday at Breckon Sports Center.
Reigning American Midwest Conference Newcomer of the Year,
Francis Okwuosah had another excellent game for the Owls, scoring a game-high 19 points and collecting five rebounds. And WWU newcomer
Kevin Taylor, a senior transfer from Emory & Henry College, recorded his first double-double as an Owl, with 14 points (5-8 field goals and 2-2 free throws) and a team-high 11 rebounds.
"Tonight was a grind," William Woods men's basketball coach
Jordan Ashton said. "We had a couple of guys a little banged up, had to make some adjustments and figure it out as a group. We have guys that can really shoot and score the ball, but we struggled to make shots. We had to find other ways to get it done, and I'm proud of these guys for doing that together."
The Pirates were in control early on, going up by nine points (16-7) 8:33 into the first half. The Owls didn't hold the lead in that stretch and tied it once at 4-4 on
Henry Shannon III's jumper in the paint off the first of Okwuosah's two team-high steals.Â
William Woods eventually took the momentum and went on a 12-4 run. Taylor scored five points during that stretch, draining a 3 after
Tre Titus' offensive board, which concluded the run and gave the Owls their first lead at 20-19 with 5:04 to go in the first half. Park regained the tempo and outscored WWU 8-6 to hold a slim 27-26 advantage at halftime.
While the Owls outrebounded the Pirates 21-19 in the first half, they only got to the line four times and made two free throws, while Park converted 5-of-9 free throws. WWU won the rebound battle again in the second half (19-15), and it also had more free throws, going 8-of-14 from the charity stripe, compared to the Pirates' 5-of-5.
Nine of the Owls' boards in the second half were offensive, and two came on their first possession, putting them in front.
Nate Schwartze and Shannon pulled down those rebounds before Taylor launched a shot from deep into the hoop to send WWU ahead 29-27 with 19:18 left in the game. It remained a back-and-forth game throughout the half, with WWU's largest lead of four points coming on Owkuosah's triple with 11:55 remaining and 28 seconds later, on Titus' jumper that put it at 46-42 Owls.
Park found its groove and went on top by as many as five points four times, the last instance at 64-59 with 2:32 left. But William Woods had the last laugh and didn't let the Pirates score again, as it concluded the contest on a 6-0 run to win the game by a point. That game-deciding run was started when Taylor converted two free throws with 1:25 remaining, and a minute later, Schwartze sent his layup into the hoop before getting to the line on the Owls' ensuing possession - Okwuosah's steal started the drive - and going a perfect 2-2 to seal the deal with 11 seconds on the clock.
For the game, William Woods tallied 40 rebounds (17 offensive), forced 11 turnovers and hit 23-of-57 field goals (40.4 percent), 9-of-30 3-pointers (30 percent) and 10-of-18 free throws (55.6 percent). Park brought down 34 boards (12 offensive), forced 11 turnovers and converted 25-of-56 field goals (44.6 percent), 4-of-14 from deep (28.6 percent) and 10-of-14 at the charity stripe (71.4 percent).
The Owls, playing their third straight future conference opponent, host Central Methodist University (2-0) at 2 p.m. next Saturday at Anderson Arena in Fulton. On top of trying to keep its unbeaten start to the campaign going, WWU will look to end its three-game losing streak against the Eagles and beat them for the first time in exactly 13 years, when it prevailed 71-60 on Nov. 9, 2011, in Fulton.
"After three straight on the road, we're excited to play our first one at home in Anderson next weekend," Ashton said. "We need to continue to work and get better this week before Saturday."
