COLUMBUS, Miss. – Mississippi University for Women men's basketball could not hold a double-digit lead late in the game, dropping an 80-75 St. Louis intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) decision at home versus Westminster College. The Owls fell to 6-10 (2-7 SLIAC), while the Blue Jays upped their record to 3-14 (3-7 SLIAC).
 
With 7:19 left in the game, The W possessed a seemingly-comfortable 11-point lead, 69-58, after a layup by Chris Evans. But the Blue Jays began to peck away at the deficit, narrowing the margin to a single possession, 75-73, with 2:52 left.
 
That score stood until just 42 seconds left to play, when the Owls' Tyson Smithy was assessed a technical foul. That gave Westminster two free throws – which they made – to tie the contest at 75-75 and the ball. The Jays converted 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to gain the margin of victory, while The W did not score a point in the final 3:10 minutes of the game (after a Dariun Doss jumper made it 75-70 at the time).
 
Five Owls finished in double-figure scoring, led by 19 from sophomore Josh Dukes. Dukes was 8-for-8 from the floor and also pulled down eight rebounds.
 
MUW big men Brye Hopkins and Cam Smith each booked 11 points. Hopkins had six rebounds and three assists, while Smith had two boards and four assists.
 
Evans finished with 10 points, as did Smithey. Evans had a team-leading nine rebounds on his ledger. Doss was held to six points, but grabbed six caroms and had a pair of steals.
 
MUW's Andrew Shepherd topped all players with seven assists. Shepherd scored four points.
 
The W again struggled mightily from the free throw stripe for the second-consecutive game, making just 5-of-11 (46 percent). Conversely, the Blue Jays shot 31 free throws and made 22 (71 percent).
 
Both teams shot well from the field, with MUW making 51 percent of its tries (33-of-65), while Westminster converted 26-of-53 attempts (49 percent).
 
The Owls will next play at home on Tuesday (Jan. 23), hosting Lyon College at 7:30 p.m. at Pohl Gym.