The William Woods University Owls were outscored by the Tabor (Kan.) College Blue Jays - ranked No. 20 in NAIA Division II - 44-30 in the second half of Tuesday night's 81-70 season-opening loss at Anderson Arena.
William Woods University, which finished 12-20 last season, is starting its sixth year under head coach Nick Totta.
The Owls trailed by as many as seven points early in the first half Tuesday night, but a 17-10 run eventually gave them their own seven-point advantage. Junior forward Bryan DeGeare knocked down a 3-pointer with 6 minutes, 16 seconds left to put William Woods on top 28-21.
Tabor College then countered with a 12-4 spurt, going in front 33-32 on Tullio Parry's 3-pointer at the 2:13 mark. The Owls ended the half with an 8-4 run, taking a 40-37 edge into the break on senior forward DJ Johnson's basket with :35 to play.
The game remained close over the first 5 minutes of the second half and junior guard Deon Pettigrew's steal and layup gave William Woods a 49-46 lead with 14:57 remaining. At that point, the Owls' shooting touch strayed and the Blue Jays produced a 13-0 run to go in front to stay.
Malik Brooks connected on a 3-pointer to give Tabor a 59-49 advantage with 11:22 to go. William Woods narrowed its deficit to 70-64 when junior guard Alec Mulvihill made two free throws with 5:08 left, but that would be as close as the Owls would get.
House tallied 15 points and handed out a game-high eight assists to guide William Woods, which shot 41 percent (22-of-54) from the field but only 27 percent (7-of-26) in the second half. Johnson and Mulvihill provided 13 points apiece.
DeGeare pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds as the Owls were outrebounded by a 44-37 margin. William Woods gave up 18 offensive rebounds to the Blue Jays and were outscored 24-9 on second-chance points.
Lance Carter registered a game-high 24 points to spark three players in double figures for Tabor, which was also playing its season opener. Brooks - who was 5-of-7 from 3-point range - added 19 points and Chance LeBlanc had 10 as the Blue Jays shot 42 percent (29-of-69) as a team.
Tabor's bench also outscored the Owls' reserves 31-21.
William Woods plays Friday and Saturday in the Columbia College Cougars vs. Cancer Classic. The Owls face Culver-Stockton College on Friday and Cumberland (Tenn.) University on Saturday. Both games tip off at 3 p.m.