COLUMBUS — The Mississippi University for Women saw its basketball teams battle in conference play at home on Thursday, splitting a pair of games with Westminster College.
The men’s team continued a good run in St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a 66-65 win over Westminster, improving to 9-9 on the season and 6-5 in the conference.
The Owls won a close contest thanks to some clutch shooting down the stretch, winning on a jump shot from Eric Bass Jr. with 0.2 seconds left on the clock.
Bass finished the game with 13 points, joining leading scorer Dariun Doss, who tallied 16 points, in double-digits. Chris Evans and James Dukes each contributed nine points, with Dukes falling just short of a double-double with 12 rebounds on the night.
The win keeps the Owls in fifth in the SLIAC standings, currently two games back of Lyon College. It was their seventh win in their last 10 games.
MUW’s women’s basketball team fell short in its game against the Blue Jays, losing 80-65 in the first game of the evening at Pohl Gymnasium. It was a difficult matchup against one of the best teams in the conference, with visiting Westminster having lost only one SLIAC game this season. The loss took the Owls to 5-13 on the season, 4-7 in conference play.
Standout Calysia Phillips, the Owls’ leading scorer this season, left in the first half with a leg injury and did not return to action. The loss was a big one but the team was able to switch gears and mount a fierce comeback attempt in the second half. A 14-2 run cut the lead to 46-40 in the third quarter, but the visitors would rediscover their composure to close out the win in the fourth quarter.
Conley Langford led the team with 18 points on the night, followed closely by Claire Leak on 15 and the injured Phillips, who scored 12 points in just 13 minutes of action.
Both teams return to action this weekend, hosting Webster University on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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