The Hornets shot 52 percent (37-of-71) as a team in stopping the Owls' four-game winning streak at Anderson Arena on Tuesday night.
William Woods University slipped to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the American Midwest Conference. Harris-Stowe State University improved to 4-2 on the season and 2-0 in the AMC.
The Owls never led Tuesday night and were down 43-27 at halftime. William Woods started the second half strong, using a 17-8 run to close within 51-44 on sophomore forward Andrew Nett's 3-pointer with 13 minutes, 15 seconds remaining in the game.
However, the Hornets responded with a 20-9 run to build a double-digit lead and take control. Riley Barnes' 3 gave Harris-Stowe a 71-53 advantage with 8:04 to go.
The Owls didn't get closer than 11 points after that.
Junior forward Codi Whitlock connected on 7-of-11 shots in coming off the bench to guide William Woods with 16 points. Nett - who had four 3s - was next with 14 points as the Owls shot just 40 percent (27-of-77) overall.
Junior forward Makenzie Fessler logged 13 points, while senior guards D'Aaron Owens and Treshawn Gause contributed 10 apiece.
Fessler pulled down 12 rebounds to help steer William Woods to a 48-47 edge on the boards.
Deshawn Munson was 13-of-25 from the field in delivering a game-high 30 points for Harris-Stowe. Duane Clark Jr. - who made 12-of-20 shots - tallied 24 points and Barnes finished with 12.
The Owls go to Columbia College for an AMC clash at 7:30 tonight.