ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- As the buzzer sounded to end regulation on Saturday, there was a resigned air inside the Looney Complex. Missouri Western had battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit to tie the game 66-66, but with an 0-2 record in overtime games this year, Griffon fans could be excused for not being exuberant. Within the first 75 seconds of the extra session however, a JaRon Thames dunk followed by a Reese Glover steal and three-pointer had the Fieldhouse rocking and MWSU didn't look back, closing out 80-76 winners over William Jewell. The Griffons missed only two shots (5-6 FG, 3-4 FT) in the extra frame and held Jewell to 4-7 shooting on the defensive end.

Missouri Western wasn't able to find its shooting touch over the first 10 minutes and struggled to contain Jewell's Heri Tshiyoyo, who had six points and an assist as the Cardinals opened up a 16-8 lead.

A three-point play by John Anderson, Jr. at the 11:00 mark sparked a 16-6 Griffon run that saw Will Eames go 5-5 with 11 points to put Missouri Western up 24-22 with 6:33 on the clock. Just as quickly, though, the Griffons went cold, making just one of eight field goal attempts over the last six minutes to go into halftime trailing 34-27.

Although the Cardinals opened up a 55-43 lead with 10:40 left in regulation, Missouri Western was able to close within three by the final minute. Glover had just six of the Griffons' 23 points over the final 10:40, but the biggest three came from the free throw line with 16 seconds on the clock. Dribbling to his right, he tried to pull up for a shot and drew contact from Mason Alexander. He calmly sank all three free throws, and Missouri Western forced an off-balance shot by Alexander to send the game to overtime.

JC Anthony was a perfect 4-for-4 on the night, but his biggest impact came with 8 seconds left in overtime, as he battled for an offensive rebound after a miss by Eames, then had an easy putback to give the Griffons a 79-76 lead. William Jewell called a timeout and again put the ball in the hands of Alexander for the last shot, but Missouri Western forced another rushed shot, giving the Cardinals no choice but to foul Thames as he grabbed the rebound with 0.5 on the clock. After missing the first, the sophomore knocked down the second to seal the win.

Missouri Western had four scorers in double figures on the night - Eames (18), Caleb Bennett (17), Glover (16) and Thames (10) - and shot 47.5 percent (29-61) from the floor. The Cardinals also finished with four double-digit scorers, led by Tshiyoyo's 18. The Griffons open the MIAA portion of the schedule on Thursday, Dec. 2, hosting Rogers State at 7:30 p.m.