JACKSON, Miss. -  The W men's basketball looked to hand regional rival Millsaps College its first loss of the 2025-26 season, but was unable to hold on to its second-half lead in an 81-75 loss at the Hanger Dome. The Owls fell to 1-3 - after winning their season opener – while the Majors stayed unblemished at 4-0.
 
The gritty MUW team fought back early, after trailing by 10 points (25-15) at the midway point of the first half. Undeterred, The W chipped away at the deficit, and a layup by the Owls' Tray Huguley got his team to within two at the intermission, 38-36.
 
MC nursed its lead until the 14:47 juncture of the second half, when MUW's Devin McCaine's fast-break layup gave the visitors their first led, 47-46, since early in the first half (nearly 20 minutes of playing time). The W built that margin to six points, 65-59, with 8:21 to play, on Cayden Howell's little jumper in the key to put the Majors behind the proverbial eight ball.
 
But a 7-0 run by Millsaps over the next 2:23 minutes erased the Owls' advantage. The teams then swapped baskets, before the Majors took the lead they would not relinquish (68-67) with 5:02 left to play.
 
The W's last best chance occurred with just 44 seconds remaining and still down by three points, 78-75, with possession. Huguley found himself open in the far corner and drained a step-back three that appeared to knot the game. But the official, who was right beside Huguley, whistled the MUW sophomore for stepping out of bounds to nullify the basket and the Owls' hopes.
 
Mc Caine continued the hot start to his MUW career with a game-leading 22 points. McCaine was 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, also netting 3-of-4 free throws.
 
Tyler Shephard chipped in 16 points, also performing well by converting 6-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. Shephard also led the way with seven assists and three steals.
 
Huguley finished the night with a smorgasbord of statistical contributions: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. Joe Haze Austin added eight points before fouling out, with Trent Walker finishing at seven points and nine rebounds (all on the defensive glass).
 
The W actually outshot Millsaps – 53 to 49 percent – and both clubs grabbed 32 rebounds. The glaring disparities were points off turnovers, where MC converted 18 Owls' miscues into 20 points, as well as on second-chance scoring, where Millsaps held a huge margin of 24 to 8 over MUW.
 
The W will resume action on Tuesday (November 25/3 p.m.) with its SLIAC opener at Lyon College in Batesville, Arkansas.