ST. LOUIS, Mo. - After spending three years locked in a logjam atop the WWU single-game record books with seven three-point makes,
Nate Schwartze finally shook loose to claim the top spot for himself as he led William Woods (15-7, 7-3 AMC) to a 112-49 win over UHSP (1-20, 0-9 AMC) on Thursday. The 112-point outburst is a new program high, and the 63-point margin of victory matches a program best set in the Owls' third season.
Woods dominated from the jump, forcing a bad look on UHSP's first possession.
Lavel Harris found Schwartze open for his first triple of the night with just over 45 seconds gone, and despite a Eutectics three to respond, Schwartze knocked down two more to put WWU up 9-3 at the 16:47 mark.
The Owls kept UHSP in single digits for more than 13 minutes to open the first half.
Francis Okwuosah drained a triple from the corner to give Woods a 33-8 lead with 6:53 in the half before the Eutectics were able to break the 10-point mark.
Harris capped off a torrid first half for WWU with a layup at the buzzer to give the visitors a 54-21 lead going into the break, then kept the offense flowing to start the second half, dishing an assist to Schwartze for WWU's first basket of the half.
WWU kept its foot on the gas, romping out to a 23-4 run over the first eight minutes of the second half. Woods found offensive production from all over in the run, with
Tre Titus capping off the run with back-to-back threes.
Kyle Belgrave II added a pair of thundering dunks as well as the WWU lead plateaued near the 50-point mark at 81-57.
The plateau was short-lived, however, as Schwartze dropped three straight triples then did a nifty give-and-go with
Xavier Iyeyemi to give the Owls a 96-34 lead with 6:49 to play.
Head coach
Jordan Ashton made a quick line change at the 6:27 mark, giving Schwartze and crew a bit of a breather, but Belgrave showed that he has a touch from distance as well, bringing Woods within one point of the century mark at 6:08.
Schwartze checked back in with just over five minutes to play and it looked as if the record would be just out of reach yet again as he missed his first two shots. But with just under three minutes to go,
Ty'Shon Pannell dished a pass and Schwartze called eight-ball from the corner.
Woods finished with a season-high 63.2 percent (43-68) shooting pace, including a 19-35 night from distance. Defensively, WWU held the Eutectics to 30.5 percent (18-59) shooting in the contest, and although Schwartze's three-point barrage was flashy, Woods also turned in a 46-20 advantage in the paint and a 14-1 advantage in second chance points.
WWU's previous 63-point win was a 103-40 win over ACCA-affiliated St. Louis Christian College on Dec. 12, 2009.
The Owls return to Anderson Arena on Feb. 13, for the inaugural Teddy Bear Toss game benefiting the Super Sam Foundation. Fans will be invited to throw a new stuffed animal onto the Anderson Arena floor between games, with the donations helping the foundation build Comfort Packs and Sibling Packs to help kids battling childhood cancer.
