CONWAY, Ark. - The Owls could not recover from a 15-point halftime deficit and had their two-game winning streak halted in an American Midwest Conference loss to the Mustangs on Thursday night.
William Woods University (2-4, 2-2 AMC) was only down by a point, 24-23, after sophomore guard Tyriel Nelson connected on a 3-pointer with 5 minutes, 25 seconds to go in the first half.
Central Baptist College, though, countered with a 16-2 run over the final 4:39 of the half to craft its double-digit lead at the break. Brevin Brimble made two free throws with :09 left to send the Mustangs into halftime with a 40-25 edge.
The Owls carved into their deficit in the second half, closing the gap to three points on three different occasions. The last time came with 5:56 to play when freshman guard Spencer Yoggerst's 3 brought William Woods within 58-55.
Central Baptist ended the game with an 8-2 run to secure the victory.
Senior forward Makenzie Fessler tallied a game-high 17 points to guide the Owls, who shot 41% (24-of-58) from the field and were plagued by 18 turnovers. Yoggerst hit 6-of-7 shots to add 14 points.
Sophomore center Darius Yohe collected a game-high nine rebounds to help give William Woods a 37-35 edge on the boards.
Tedrick Wolfe and TaJuan Johnson finished with 14 points apiece to pace Central Baptist (7-3, 3-0), which weathered a 38% (21-of-56) shooting effort. Zach Hudson chipped in with 11 points and Brimble had 10.
The Owls remain in Arkansas for an AMC contest at Lyon College at 3 p.m. Saturday.