Eagles Fall Short Against Owls

WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (1/27/24) - The Williams Baptist University men's basketball team fell in a back-and-forth matchup to William Woods by the final score of 89-79 on Saturday afternoon.

Duke Hardin led the Eagles with 20 points on the day, while DJ Townsend chipped in 13 off the bench. Ben Keton put in 12 points to surpass 1,000 total points in his collegiate career.  TJ Clardy led the team in rebounds with six and in assists with seven.

WBU shot 34.9 percent (22-for-63) from the field and 36.7 percent (11-for-30) from beyond the three-point line. The Eagles won the turnover battle, forcing 24 turnovers on defense while only giving up the ball ten times. WBU put up 26 bench points in the contest.

Both teams traded buckets for much of the game, but a 12-2 run halfway through the second half would doom the Eagles in the affair. William Woods stayed hot throughout the second half, shooting 65.4 percent from the floor, and knocking down 55.6 percent of three-point attempts.

WBU trailed by only one point at the halftime break after a TJ Clardy steal and layup with 45 seconds left in the first. Ben Keton would hit a three 30 seconds into the second half to give the Eagles a 36-34 lead.

The loss drops the Eagles to 10-8 on the year and 2-5 in AMC play.  WBU returns to action next Saturday, Feb. 3 to take on Columbia College in the Southerland-Mabee Center. Tip-off is set for 3 PM.