COLUMBUS, Miss. – A strong effort up-and-down its lineup propelled The W men's basketball to its fourth-consecutive victory in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) by knocking off Eureka College, 75-67, in overtime. The Owls' (8-7, 5-3 SLIAC) win over the Red Devils (3-12, 2-6 SLIAC) boosted the team above the .500 mark for the first time since November 26, 2023.
 
All nine players appearing in the game for Head Coach Dean Burrows managed to score. Five of those individuals had nine or more points.
 
MUW took the lead in the first half with 1:34 left in the stanza and carried a 27-23 lead into the halftime locker room. The Owls held the upper hand most of the second half, that is until the final 14 seconds of the period. Leading by 11 points with 2:19 left in regulation after an Eric Bass Jr. jumper, The W saw its advantage erode thanks to a 12-1 run by Eureka to close out the second period in a 58-58 tie.
 
In the overtime period, Eureka got the first point on a free throw, but MUW reeled off the next eight points unanswered to lead 66-59 with less than a minute left. The W converted 11-of-14 free throws in the five-minute OT segment, alone, to ice the win.
 
Bass Jr. led MUW with 16 points off of the bench. Bass Jr. hit 4-of-9 field goals and was 8-for-10 from the charity stripe. He drew a game-leading seven fouls by EC players in his 35 minutes of action.
 
Jackson Reid made good on 4-of-7 shots from the floor – two from long distance – and hit all four of his free throws on his way to a 14-point afternoon. Tyson Smithey also hit double-digit scoring off the Owls' bench, finishing with 11 points. Smithey had two blocks, as did teammate Cam Smith.
 
Fifth-year seniors Chris Evans and Dariun Doss each booked nine points. Doss added a game-high 10 rebounds, while Evans had a larcenous three steals.
 
The MUW bench players outscored the Red Devil reserves by a 35-to-20 point differential.
 
The W will look to extend its win skein next Thursday (Jan. 23/7:30 p.m.) at Greenville University.