ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Senior
Ethan Kilgore's last-second jumper lifted the Griffons (7-1), who ranked 25th in the latest D2CSC Media Poll, to a 78-77 comeback win over William Jewell (3-3) on Tuesday night at Tom Smith Court. MWSU erased a 15-point second half deficit for the second straight game to extend the winning streak to seven
Missouri Western faced challenges early in the game against William Jewell, who built a lead as large as 11 points in the first half. The Cardinals led for 18:32 before heading into the locker room with a 40-29 advantage. The Cardinals controlled the paint, outshooting the Griffons 20-10 and converting on five fast breaks.
The Griffons flipped a switch in the second half, with senior
Zane Nelson spearheading the offensive effort by scoring nine points on a 4-for-7 shooting display. MWSU finished the half with 18 points scored in the paint and also took advantage of six second-chance points.
Midway through the second half, the Griffons went on a 13-0 run, fueled by
Kiani Saxon's five points, which cut the 15-point deficit down to just three with 6:06 remaining in regulation. Later in the half, after the Cardinals had regained a six-point lead, a three-pointer from Nelson tied the game at 66-66. He then gave the Griffons their first lead of the half with a layup on the following possession. However, a clutch jumper from WJC's Bradley Lightbourne as time expired sent the game into overtime.
Senior
Zion Swader drained a deep three-pointer assisted from fellow senior
Julius Dixon, helping to grab early momentum in the overtime period. The two teams were closely matched for the remainder of the game, resulting in three lead changes and two ties. With just four seconds left and the score at 77-76, Kilgore made the game-winning shot, assisted by Swader, to secure the thrilling 78-77 comeback victory.
Five different Griffons scored in double figures, led by Swader with 17 points. Dixon followed with 16, Nelson contributed 15, Saxon added 13 and
Justin Bubak finished with 11. MWSU outrebounded WJC 39-30 and tallied 16 points from second-chance opportunities.
Missouri Western will have a brief break for Thanksgiving before returning to action next Tuesday for the MIAA opener against rival Northwest Missouri State (1-5) on the road. Tipoff at Bearcat Arena is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
