COLUMBUS, Miss. -  A tough night shooting by Mississippi University for Women men's basketball resulted in an 80-50 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) home loss versus league-leader Spalding University at Pohl Gym. The Owls saw their record dip to 7-13 (3-12 SLIAC), while the Golden Eagles improved to 12-9 (11-4 SLIAC).
 
MUW would shoot just 32 percent (20-63) from the floor, overall, and converted just 2-of-16 from three-point range (13 percent). The W's season-long Achille's Heel at the free throw line reared its ugly head again versus Spalding, as the squad converted just 50 percent (8-16) from the charity stripe.
 
Contrast that with the Golden Eagles' 51-percent effort (33-65) from the field, 31 percent (5-16) from beyond the arc, and 75 percent (9-12) from the free throw line and the result was a long night for The W.
 
Dariun Doss led MUW's offense, finishing with 14 points. Doss connected on 6-or-14 from the floor. He also hauled in six rebounds.
 
Senior Brye Hopkins was the Owls' only other double-digit scorer, with 10 points on a 4-of-6 shooting night. Hopkins led all rebounders with nine caroms to his credit, seven on the offensive glass.
 
Cam Smith chipped in seven points and eight rebounds to the Owls' cause. Josh Dukes tallied six points. Freshman Grayson Sanford came off of the MUW bench to contribute four points and three rebounds.
 
The W will close out its 2023-24 home slate on Saturday (Feb 10) at 3 p.m. versus Greenville University.