CANTON, Mo. – William Woods (6-15, 3-10 Heart) showed grit on the road Monday night, knocking off Culver-Stockton (5-16, 2-11 Heart) 77-74 in a tightly contested conference battle.
William Woods came out aggressively early, setting the tone offensively and answering every Culver run with one of their own. The Owls moved the ball well and attacked the paint, building momentum as the half wore on. Culver-Stockton kept things close behind its home crowd, but Woods stayed composed and headed into the break with confidence after a strong closing stretch.
The second half turned into a grind. Both teams traded buckets and defensive stops, with neither side able to fully pull away. The Owls leaned on timely scoring and tough defense down the stretch, making the extra plays when it mattered most. Late free throws and key stops sealed the deal as William Woods closed out the 77-74 road win.
Isaiah Payne led the scoring charge off the bench with 18 points and 2 steals, while Micheal Brooks II led the starters with 14 points of his own. Big men each scored in the double digits, with
Jacob LaBounty putting up 13 points and
Brock Davis putting up 11 points, and each had 6 rebounds.
The Owls will look to build on the momentum as they continue conference play against Central Methodist on Wednesday in Anderson Arena for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
