The W’s men’s basketball team got back on the winning side of things at Pohl Gymnasium Saturday in a 79-71 victory over Eureka College, which snapped a four-game losing streak in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
The Owls (11-10, 7-5) got a game-high 22 points off the bench from Joe Haze Austin, who finished the day with 8-of-12 shooting, including six makes from deep to tie the program record, in capturing the regular-season sweep of the Red Devils. After a back-and-forth affair with eight lead changes and three ties to begin the contest, Austin drilled two 3-pointers and a shot from midrange to give the Owls a 38-34 at halftime that rolled into a 12-point advantage with 4:24 left to play. The Red Devils made multiple runs at the lead, cutting their deficit to under three points three times in the second half, but The W squashed its recent trend of falling short in the final frame with baskets in response. A shot from deep by Eureka’s Jonah Lauff brought the Red Devils just four points from a tied game at the 1-minute mark, but a tip in by Tray Huguley and two made free throws sunk Eureka’s chances and put the Owls square in the mix for a top-three seed in the conference tournament. The Owls sit just 1.5 games behind Lyon College for the No. 2 spot.
Huguley joined Austin the 20-point club with 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Trent Walker added 12 points and nine boards. Devin McCaine wrapped up scorers with double-digit points with 10 points and six rebounds.
The W won the battle of the boards 39-22, which led to 15 second-chance points, and dominated the paint by outscoring 36-18 down low.
Women’s basketball
MUW 91, Eureka 62
After tripping to a stretch of five straight SLIAC losses, The W’s women’s basketball team righted the ship Saturday with a dominating victory over Eureka College that kept the team’s conference tournament hopes alive.
Fantasia Wilson got the Owls (5-15, 4-8) on the board with a driving layup and her squad never relinquished its lead as it tacked on its most points scored all season. The W led 26-7 after the first quarter, 48-25 at halftime and 67-39 heading into the fourth. Mia Bowen led the Owls with 28 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals, and Jakayla Smith chipped in 16 points and nine boards. Conley Langford was right behind with 14 points and 11 rebounds for her school-record 23rd double-double, and Calysia Phillips, Rhianna Dinkins and Charity Hinton all scored eight points each. Eureka’s Kayla Collins led all scorers, though, with 32 points, 14 of which were earned at the free-throw line.
With four games left to play, MUW is just one game behind Greenville University for the No. 6 and final spot in the tournament. Both the men’s and women’s teams are back in action at Principia College on Saturday. The women play at 1 p.m. and the men hit the court at 3 p.m.
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