Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - In what's been a campaign full of firsts and joy, No. 9 William Woods University (25-2, 17-1 American Midwest Conference) achieved and experienced the greatest of those things on the season after it won its first-ever AMC regular season title in its last-ever AMC regular season game, fulfilling its mission by beating Mission University (8-17, 6-12) 94-65 Saturday at W.E. Dowell Fieldhouse.

En route to winning the AMC regular season championship and receiving the one seed, the Owls surpassed their previous single-season win record of 22 in 2016-17 and are currently on a program-record 20-game winning streak. 

While William Woods men's basketball coach Jordan Ashton has made nearly an entire roster overhaul since taking the reins from Charles Belt in 2023-24, it was a program staple who played under both Owls leaders that paced WWU's offense in the result that culminated in them making history. 

That individual is a name just about every William Woods student, if not all, knows: Nate Schwartze, who grew up just 23 miles from Fulton in Columbia and was a standout on one of the premier mid-Missouri prep programs, Tolton.

After being a star for the Owls under Belt, Schwartze has been putting up impressive numbers as a rotation player in Ashton's WWU team, which is filled with depth, and he did that to the furthest extent Saturday. In 21 minutes, Schwartze outdid a Patriot by a point, scoring a game-high 22 points (8-11 field goals and 5-8 3-pointers) and adding two rebounds and an assist.

Then, they were the two that Ashton knew before he knew Wiliam Woods: Henry Shannon III and Francis Okwuosah, who played for Ashton at the now-defunct Iowa Wesleyan University. Doing what they've done all season, putting in excellent games on both sides. Shannon recorded 20 points (8-10 free throws and 6-7 field goals), six boards, a team-high three steals and a co-game-high two blocks in 26 minutes, and Okwuosah 19 points (6-11 field goals, 4-6 free throws and three 3-pointers), five rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes.

Last but not least, a pair of first-year Owls that have entertained William Woods faithful throughout the campaign, Kevin Taylor (transfer from Emory & Henry College) and D'Mari Wiltz (transfer from Missouri Baptist University). The seniors did what they do best: Taylor brought down a college career-high 19 boards and tacked on eight points and an assist, and Wiltz dished out a game-high eight assists while registering four rebounds, three points and two steals.

Having all those tremendous showings, it's unsurprising that the Owls dominated the court early. Posting seven points without reply to begin the game, WWU's Shannon went 2-2 at the free-throw line twice to start and end the run, and Tre Titus drained a 3-pointer in between. 

Shannon's strong start didn't stop there, giving the Owls their first double-digit lead (11-1) just 3:28 into the contest when he landed a jumper off his offensive rebound, then he heightened WWU's advantage to 20 (22-2) when he took a Wiltz pass and put down a dunk with 14:51 left in the first half. Mission called a timeout after Shannon's slam, but that didn't stop the Owls' superior play. Following the break, Wiltz stole the ball, and Schwartze got a layup to fall, putting WWU up by the number of points he scored, 22 (24-2).

The Patriots stayed with the Owls in the middle of the first half, then WWU had another commanding stretch, scoring eight unanswered points. Shannon had the final four points of the run, and he pulled down a defensive board and went up for his second dunk - provided by Ty'Shon Pannell - and handed the Owls their most significant advantage of the first half, 44-18 with 5:46 on the clock. Schwartze and the No. 22 were hand-in-hand throughout the game, sending WWU in front by 22 for the second time at 53-31 with 10 seconds left in the first half on his third triple in four attempts in the half.

That put a cap on the first-half offense, and the Owls weren't done making basket after basket. Although William Woods didn't have a lengthy run of complete control, it remained comfortably ahead, and that was because of its all-around effort in the second half. The Owls used just that to elevate their advantage to 30 points (84-54) as Titus swiped a Patriots pass and sent the ball to Wiltz, who went up for a layup with 5:02 left.

With the result already all but secured, William Woods utilized its bench. The Owls' rotation gave them their two game-high 32-point leads: Aaiden Ashton made a putback to put it at 86-54 with 4:19 remaining, and post Jacob LaBounty looked like a unicorn, sinking a 3-pointer assisted by Cooper Smith to make it 89-57 with 3:54 to go. LaBounty had five boards and a co-game-high two blocks defensively and six points offensively in 11 minutes, and his last point, from a free throw, finalized the matchup's scoring with 1:21 left as Woods won by 29.

The Owls collected 48 rebounds (13 offensive) with 17 second-chance points, scored 17 points off 15 forced turnovers and shot 56.6% (30-53) from the field, 48.3% (14-29) from 3-point range and 62.5% (20-32) at the line. The Patriots had 26 boards (10 offensive) with 14 second-chance points, tallied 25 points off 22 forced turnovers and converted 35% (21-60) from the field, 24.1% (7-29) from deep and 66.7% (16-24) at the stripe.

"We were good for some stretches, then got away from it for some stretches as well," Ashton said. "We still have some areas to get better in and be more disciplined with, but very proud of our guys for getting it done. We're right back to work and will focus on tightening up going into the postseason."

Top-seeded William Woods begins its quest for the AMC Men's Basketball Tournament championship when it hosts No. 8 seed Harris-Stowe State University (8-18, 5-13 AMC) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Anderson Arena in Fulton. The Owls swept the season series over the Hornets, taking both contests by at least 28 points, including a 100-51 triumph on Dec. 7 in Fulton.