COLUMBUS, Miss. – The W men's basketball team won for the fourth time in its last five outings, this time knocking off Fontbonne University, 87-82, in a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) matchup at Pohl Gym. The Owls (6-7, 3-3 SLIAC) climbed into the fifth place slot of the league's standings by taking care of the Griffins (4-9, 3-3 SLIAC).
 
Senior Chris Evans (11 points) got The W out of the blocks fast, hitting three-consecutive treys to open the game and give the hosts a 9-0 advantage in less than three minutes. A James Dukes (9 points, 7 rebounds) bucket made it 11-0. FBU had its only lead of the day with 13:02 left in the first half, 14-13.  
 
MUW's one-two punch of Jackson Reed and Trent Walker would take care of matters from that point on. Reed's three-ball at 12:22 put the Owls ahead for good, igniting a 28-10 run by MUW that saw the cushion balloon to 17 points, 41-24. The W went into the halftime locker room up by 19 points (51-32)
 
Reed's first half numbers – 17 points and five rebounds – would have been good enough for most players for the entire game, propelling his team to the big advantage. His final game line was 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and 8-of-12 field goals made (5-of-7 from beyond the arc).
 
As much as the first stanza belonged to Reed, the second half of play featured Trent Walker's best outing as an Owl. After booking a respectable nine first half points, Walker tallied 11 of his 20 total points in the final 20 minutes, shooting 8-of-13 for the game from the floor, and finishing with his first collegiate double-double by adding in 11 rebounds. He also had a pair of blocked shots, just for good measure.
 
And MUW needed all of those points as the spunky Griffins chipped away at the deficit. A Walker layup at 16:14 gave the hosts their largest lead of 20 points, 59-39. MUW was still on top by 20 with 11:16 to play when Fontbonne began its last-gasp run at the Owls.
 
With 19 seconds remaining in regulation, the Griffins got to within a single possession, 83-80. But MUW made all four of its free throws down the stretch to stem the FBU surge and secure the win.
 
In all, four Owls finished in double-digit scoring. Joining Reed and Walker were Evans (11 points) and Eric Bass Jr. (10 points).
 
The W will play its third-consecutive home game next Thursday (Jan. 16) when it welcomes Blackburn College to Pohl Gym.