COLUMBUS, Miss. – Freshman guard Milos Zeradjanin led his team for the first time this season in a hard-fought 85-74 victory over Champion Christian Thursday afternoon in Emma 'Ody' Pohl Gymnasium. The Zemun, Serbia native put up a game-high 20 points with 4 rebounds, 6 assists, and one block to propel The W ahead in its eighth win of the season.

Several other Owls lent double-digit points to the scoring effort. Senior guard Tavonta Jones had 19 points, sophomore guard Brien Kimmons had 11 points, and senior guard Keith Harris added 10. Harris also led his team in rebounding with 7 boards.

"[I'm] really proud of the fight and resiliency of our guys tonight," said head coach Brian Merkel. "Champion came out with a great game plan and really brought it to us in the first half. Our guys didn't panic, made a few adjustments, and really came out and played well in the second half."

As a team, The W (8-10) played one of its best games of the season statistically. The Owls went 32-for-65 (49.2 percent) from the floor, 10-for-28 (35.7 percent) in three-point, and 11-for-13 (84.6 percent) at the free-throw line to exceed their season average in every category. The W also outscored Champion Christian 19-17 in points on turnovers, 40-32 in the paint, and came up short by only one in bench points 45-44.

Seconds after tipoff, Harris jumped high for two to give the Owls the first two points of the game. The game would remain 2-0 until Braylon Hawkins for Champion Christian gave the Tigers two on a tip in to tie the game at the 17:30 mark. The first points for CCC started a 13-0 scoring run forcing The W behind 13-2.

Harris ended the scoring drought for the Owls, pulling up outside the arc for three at 14:16  to begin the Owls battle back. The W put up 20 points while holding the Tigers to 6 for a 22-19 lead. The two teams exchange points and tied once before Champion Christian kicked it into gear to pull ahead and close the half with a 40-31 lead.

Back after halftime, the Tigers did not hesitate to get back into rhythm with Derrick Guinn scoring Champion Christian's first points of the half on a tipping 14 seconds after the whistle. Jones for the Owls answered shortly after with a three-pointer to put the score at 42-34. The W continued to chip away at the Tigers lead before tying the game at 43.

Scoring went back and forth and with Owls trailing by three, 60-57, with nine minutes left, Zeradjanin attacked the basket with a layup and push The W within one, 60-59. The Owls continued to push ahead and with a little more than two minutes left in the game, senior Tre Pinkston tied it up for The W and Davon Kennick with a tip gave the Owls the lead.

Champion Christian tried hard to take back control in the final seconds of the game but it was not enough. The Owls defeated the Tigers 85-74 to give head coach Brian Merkel his winningest record as a head coach beating the inaugural season record of 7-18.

"We are battling through some injuries right now and the guys have really stepped up and played well the last few weeks," Merkel continues. "We are hoping to continue the positive momentum into Saturday night."

The W is still searching for a bid into the USCAA Men's Basketball Division I National Championship. The search continues as it heads to Huntsville, Ala. to take on fellow USCAA-institution Oakwood University on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.