COLUMBUS, Mss. - Mississippi University for Women could not solve a quality Fontbonne University squad, suffering a 78-58 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Loss at Pohl Gym. The Owls' (7-12, 3-9 SLIAC) loss to the Griffins (12-7, 7-5 SLIAC) – the SLIAC's fourth-place team - closed out a string of five-consecutive home contests for MUW.
 
MUW was never able to get a foothold in the game, trailing by 15, 40-25, at the half. That ballooned to as much as 22 points with 11:53 left in the game, as the guests maintained a double-digit cushion the entire second half.
 
For its part, MUW did not squander its opportunities, committing a reasonable 13 turnovers, and actually had five more shot attempts than did FBU. Fontbonne simply did not give The W many openings, making just six turnovers and shooting 49 percent (28-57) from the field.
 
Seniors Chris Evans and Brye Hopkins led the Owls efforts. Evans led the team in scoring for a second-straight contest, registering 14 points. Evans was 5-for-11 from the floor, going 4-of-9 from long range, as well.
 
Hopkins picked up his third double-double of the 2023-24 campaign. Hopkins finished the afternoon with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. He was also efficient from the field, converting 4-of-8 shot tries.
 
Tyson Smithey and Dariun Doss booked seven and six points, respectively. Tarik Islamovic and Andrew Shepherd each contributed five points.
 
The Owls will hit the road for a SLIAC game at Blackburn College next Thursday (Feb. 1/7:30 p.m.).