FULTON, Mo. - In front of a humongous Anderson Arena crowd, No. 9/No. 1 seed William Woods University (28-2) got redemption for last season in the sweetest way possible, clinching its first-ever American Midwest Conference Tournament title by dethroning the reigning champion who ended its season last year, No. 15/No. 2 seed Central Baptist College (26-5), in resounding fashion, winning 85-52 Tuesday.
While it took a team effort to win the AMC Tournament, one Owl in particular made plays when it was still a close game,
Kevin Taylor, who finished with 15 points, a game-high 20 rebounds, a game-high four steals, a game-high four blocks and two assists. Taylor posted his double-double in 19:31 on 11 points (all of his 3-5 3-point shooting in that time) and 10 boards (seven defensive and three offensive), broke the AMC Tournament single-game defensive rebound record with 15 and tied the single-game rebound record.
On top of that terrific individual outing, four of William Woods' five starters scored in double figures compared to the Mustangs' one, highlighting the Owls' offensive depth and dominant defending. Adding to that point, WWU shot 43.5% (27-62) from the field, 39.1% (9-23) from deep and 81.5% (22-27) at the free-throw line, while CBC went 25.4% (18-71) from the field, 10.3% (3-29) from 3-point range and 68.4% (13-19) at the stripe.
Joining Taylor with double-digit points for the Owls were
Henry Shannon III with a game-high 20 points (7-9 field goals and 6-6 free throws), five rebounds and two assists,
Francis Okwuosah with 18 points (6-11 field goals and 4-4 free throws), eight boards and one block and
Tre Titus with 15 points (2-3 3-pointers and 7-9 free throws), five rebounds, one assist and one steal. Even the starter that didn't score in double figures still played a significant part in the offense as
D'Mari Wiltz dished out a game-high 10 assists and added five points, three rebounds and one steal.
With the two regular-season meetings this season being decided by no more than five points, it was no surprise to see the Owls and Mustangs exchange leads early. Shannon knocked down a jumper on the game's first possession, then following two fruitless drives by both teams, CBC took a 3-2 advantage on Jonas Carlisle's 3-pointer, but Shannon responded with authority, taking a Wiltz pass and slamming it into the hoop to send WWU back in front.
Following Shannon's slam, the Mustangs took their final lead at 5-4 on Savaughn Smith's two made free throws with 16:59 left. Then, the Owls didn't trail the rest of the contest after Okwuosah got his putback to fall to put it at 6-5 with 16:33 to go. WWU used a six-point unanswered stretch on
Nate Schwartze, Okwuosah and Titus 2-pointers to extend its lead to nine, 21-12. Staying in the game, CBC used a 14-5 run to tie for the final time at 26-all with 1:46 remaining in the first half. Unsung Owl
Jacob LaBounty caught the Mustangs off their saddle, taking a Shannon helper and placing his layup into the hoop to hand WWU the advantage for good at 28-26 with 55 seconds before halftime.
The Mustangs called timeout after that, but all that happened before the break was Taylor draining his third 3-pointer to give him a double-double and put the Owls up 31-26 at halftime.
While it was still anyone's game going into the second half, William Woods did what it's done many times this season, locking it down when it matters most. The Owls opened the second half on an 11-2 run - six points from Shannon then - to elevate their lead to 39-26. Just under six minutes later, WWU heightened its advantage to 20 points (57-37) on Titus' triple provided by assist master Wiltz. After the Mustangs narrowed their deficit, showman Shannon sent the Owls back in front by 20, putting down another dunk from a Wiltz assist.
Central Baptist trimmed its deficit to 67-48 with 6:16 on the clock before Wiliam Woods deafened Anderson Arena to the greatest extent in the final home game of its season full of firsts and milestones, with a commanding 11-0 run, featuring six points from Okwuosah in that time, including 4-4 free-throw shooting to hold a 30-point cushion (78-48). With 3:36 left, that indeed secured Woods' win. CBC only had four points in the final 3:36, while WWU had seven. The final Owls board and basket at home in their historic season was a LaBounty defensive rebound with :31 remaining and a
Ty'Shon Pannell 3-pointer with :02 left.
For the game, William Woods collected 52 rebounds (16 offensive) with 15 second-chance points and scored 12 points off nine forced turnovers, while Central Baptist had 43 boards (22 offensive) with 15 second-chance points and tallied 12 points off 11 forced turnovers.
With Queen's "We Are the Champions" playing, the Owls celebrated their AMC Tournament title in red t-shirts showcasing their accomplishment while soaking it all in with those near and dear to them and gathering for photo opportunities with the trophy. Thankfully, nets can be replaced as WWU, with every piece of the Owls' puzzle getting to do so, cut down the net on the student-section side after doing the same thing on the visitor's section for securing a share of its first-ever AMC regular season championship with CBC, the team it beat twice in three games, including the one that mattered most Tuesday night.
"Tonight was definitely a step forward for us," William Woods men's basketball coach
Jordan Ashton said. "We locked in defensively, did a great job of being disciplined on both ends, and our intensity was the best it's been all year. We need to build off this game, continue to focus on what we do and keep working."Â
William Woods will find out who it faces in the 87th Annual NAIA Men's Basketball National Championship opening round at 7 p.m. Thursday, when the association's selection show will take place.
