ELSAH, Ill. -   Mississippi University for Women men's basketball had a big lead evaporate in regulation and, eventually, lost its inaugural St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) game at Principia College in overtime, 82-76. The Owls' loss at the Hay Field House – it's second in as many seasons – dropped them to 3-3 on the season and 0-1 in the SLIAC, while the Panthers improved to 2-6 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
 
"The goal coming out of the two exhibition games was to, hopefully, have these SLIAC contests slow down for our guys," The W Head Coach Dean Burrows explained. "And I thought for the most part it did. In the first half, we made some shots and things were going our way and how we came out defensively gave them fits, which continued early on into the second half. But we started to divert from what had gotten us to that point."
 
"Prior to the game, we wanted to play inside-out, get to the free throw line, own the glass, and get back in transition," Burrows continued. "We confused shooting well with playing well in the first half and thought that it would continue. Right now, we aren't committed fully to being 'one' unit from the first guy on down to the 15th man on the roster and that's on me to correct. This needs to be done before we ever think about winning at a consistent level."
 
MUW bolted out to an 11-points halftime advantage, 42-31. With 16:30 remaining in the second half, a layup by Dariun Doss gave the Owls their largest lead of 18 points (54-36). With 12:26 left in regulation, MUW still maintained a 16-point cushion after a Michael Smith Jr. layup made it 56-40.
 
But that's when the proverbial wheels came off of The W's wagon. Over the next nine minutes, the Panthers stalked and overtook the Owls, thanks to a 23-6 run that saw MUW trail for the first time in the game since the opening basket.
 
A Tyson Smithey free throw, followed by a Chris Evens three-ball gave The W a 66-63 lead. But PC answered with a make from beyond the arc to knot matters t 66-66, as it ended in regulation. The Panthers out-scored the Owls 16-10 in the extra segment.
 
Doss finished the night with a game-leading – and career high – total of 22 points. Doss connected on an efficient 11-for-18 from the field. He also had five rebounds, four assists, and a team-leading three steals.
 
The sophomore Smithey registered his first collegiate double-double, thanks to his 15 points and 12 rebounds, as well as a game-high six assists. Evans finished with 12 points and five boards.
 
Andrew Shepherd and Josh Dukes added nine and seven points, respectively, with Adin Johnson soring five. Cam Smith, Michael Smith Jr., and Tarik Islamovic each had two points to round out the Owls' offense.
 
The W will look to secure SLIAC win No. 1 on Saturday, when it travels to St. Louis, Mo., to face Fontbonne University (3 p.m.).