ITTA BENA,-Miss. – The W men's basketball took on NCAA Division I Mississippi Valley State University, in what was an exhibition game for MUW, losing by a 97-61 count on the road. The bout was the Owls' only practice game before it gets real for the regular season opener at home next Tuesday (November 11/5 p.m.) versus Huntingdon College at Pohl Gym.
(The opener on MUW's home floor will be the first time in its seven full seasons as a program – excluding the COVID patrial year of 2020-21 – that the Owls will be playing their season lid-lifter in Columbus).
While not entirely unexpected that the Delta Devils (1-1) would lead wire-to-wire, the NCAA III Owls did have several positives emerge as Head Coach
Dean Burrows prepares his troops for Huntingdon. Down by 13 at the half (40-27), MUW made a nice run at MVSU to, with 15:44 left in the game, get within four point (46-42) after a pair of
Tray Huguley free throws.
Another bright spot was the contributions of Huguley, himself, in his first time suiting up for MUW. The sophomore transfer from Saks, Alabama – and Shelton State Community College – had a team-leading 16 points on a 6-of-15 effort from the field. Huguley had one trey and went 3-for-3 from the free throw line. He also had a game-high 12 rebounds, 10 defensive, to finish with a double-double, also dishing off three assists.
As a unit, The W also made good on 14 of its 16 free throw tries, frequently a sore spot for the team in previous seasons. The Owls also shot a creditable 37 percent from the floor (21-57), before The Valley pulled away in the second half (shooting 50 percent for the game).
Two other newcomers,
Tyler Shephard and
Joe Haze Austin, both chipped in nine points. Shephard also topped the team with three steals. Austin had five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block on his ledger.
The Owls' only returning players from last season,
Jackson Reid and
Trent Walker, each booked seven points, as did junior transfer
Devin McCaine. Each member of the trio also had three rebounds.
Cayden Howell,
Mal Stansfield, and
Tylen Simpson each registered two points to round out MUW's scorers.
