FULTON, Mo. – The Men's basketball team hosted its first game of conference play against the Bobcats from Peru State (4-4, 0-1 Heart).
William Woods University (3-3, 1-0 Heart) came out looking to make a statement against Peru in conference play. Isaish Payne would lead the Owls in the scoring column with 12 as Woods and Peru traded blows for the lead for much of the first half. The Owls closed the half on a strong 9-4 run, taking a 38-31 advantage into the locker room.
Mark Onyejekwe would go 5-for-8 from the field for 11 points, with
Brock Davis throwing up 9 points to go along with
Demarco Buchanan cleaning up the board with 7 rebounds to round out the half for the Owls.
Peru State stormed out of the break, cutting the deficit to one and forcing head coach Andrew Green to call a timeout. The reset paid off immediately, as the Owls responded with a decisive 10-0 run to rebuild their cushion. From there, Woods' defense would tighten the screws and only allow 14 points for the rest of the game.
Eight Owls would record points in the second half, with Onyejekwe leading them with 16 points to finish with 27 on the day for the Owls. Payne added 15 points and recorded 5 steals as the Owls capitalized on 21 Peru State turnovers to walk away with a 74-54 win to open Heart conference play.
Riding the momentum of their dominant conference opener, the Owls return to action Wednesday when they host Missouri Valley at Anderson Arena. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
