COLUMBUS, Miss. –  After playing well enough to win on numerous occasions this season and coming up empty, the Mississippi University for Women men's basketball team finally got the proverbial monkey off of its back with its 70-68 victory over Blue Mountain College. Actually, after drawing blanks in their first nine outings of 2021-22, the Owls' win probably felt more like the squad had jettisoned King Kong, especially versus a very good Toppers team at Pohl Gym.
                                           
It's the same Blue Mountain team which played a pair of NCAA Division I opponents (Arkansas State and Nicholls State) close and defeated NCAA II Delta State in exhibitions. The same Toppers unit that entered the night with a 7-3 record and, just last Saturday, scored a 74-63 win over The W in Blue Mountain.
 
And while the Owls may have a way to go before the team is purring like a Porsche, at least for this night, they functioned like a well-tuned, four-wheel drive SUV. Finesse gave way to function and form.
 
"I felt that we played with a ton of grit and heart in the second half," The W Head Coach Dean Burrows said. "They key was at half; they had 15 points off of our turnovers and they finished the game with that same number. Guys stuck together and overcame adversity collectively, which is what life is about. We executed down the stretch far better than we did in the first half and chipped away little by little."
 
"Milos (Zeradjanin) carried us there for a stretch and we did a better job in the second half on the glass against a very good team. Now, how we react to this is most important, as we work to develop consistency."
 
As has been the case in each of the past four games since senior Terryonte Thomas was cleared to join the Owls, the Columbus, Miss., native led the team in scoring. Thomas singed the nets for 28 points, hitting 12-of-22 from the floor. None of his baskets loomed larger than the final two of the night – both driving layups – the first of which tied the game at 68-68 and the second that proved to be the deciding points with 25 seconds left to play.
 
Zeradjanin was electric from the field, connecting on 7-of-9 attempts overall. Zeradjanin was 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also dished off a game-high six assists.
 
Thomas Wright was equally deft from the floor, draining 4-of-5 tries and finishing with 10 points as the Owls' third double-figure scorer. Wright also matched Thomas with a team-leading eight boards.
 
Trey Jackson and Shon Wright booked six and five points, respectively. Four points from Ddallen Bailey rounded out The W's offense.
 
As a team, MUW shot a season high 52.5 percent (30-57) from the field, buoyed by 42 points in the paint. The Owls also out-rebounded the Toppers, 33-30.
 
The W will next play at Huntingdon College on Saturday (Dec. 18/2 p.m.).