SPRINGFIELD - The problem was simple for the William Woods University Owls.
William Woods shot a dreadful 28 percent as a team in falling to NCAA Division I Missouri State University in a 77-56 exhibition loss at JQH Arena on Friday afternoon.
The Owls made just 16-of-57 shots from the field, but were even worse from 3-point range - connecting on only 7-of-30 attempts (23 percent) from behind the arc.
"I was really proud of how we competed," William Woods head coach Nick Totta said. "We didn't shoot the ball well, as MSU did really good on making us take tough ones.
"I thought it was good to face that kind of talent and ... it was a good experience to play in a venue and setting like that."
The Owls trailed 13-5 in the early going, but showed some grit by answering with a 15-2 run to surprise the Bears. Sophomore forward Darrien Dickey converted a pair of free throws with 8 minutes, 4 seconds left in the first half to give William Woods a 20-15 edge.
Missouri State, though, steadied itself behind an 18-4 run of its own to take control. Chris Kendrix hit two free throws at the 3:08 mark to put the Bears in front 33-24.
Missouri State never trailed again and carried a 39-28 advantage into halftime. The Bears led by as many as 24 points on three different occasions in the second half before closing out the victory.
Junior forward Bryan DeGeare produced 15 points as the only player to reach double figures for the Owls, who committed 16 turnovers and also shot just 61 percent (17-of-28) from the foul line. Senior guard Austin Lowery contributed nine points.
DeGeare grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as William Woods was outrebounded by a 52-42 margin.
Camyn Boone tallied a game-high 16 points to direct four players in double figures for Missouri State, which shot 41 percent (29-of-71) as a team and had only nine turnovers. Kendrix followed with 12 points, Dequon Miller added 11 and Jarred Dixon finished with 10.
The Owls (4-3) host Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) University at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Anderson Arena.