COLUMBUS, Miss. – Heading into Saturday afternoon's game, The W men's basketball knew it was going to be in for a high-octane experience versus Greenville University, which came in ranked No. 2 in the NCAA III in scoring, No. 1 in three-point field goals attempted, and No. 2 in three-pointers made. But when the dust had settled in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) bout, it was the Owls (4-4, 2-1 SLIAC) who beat the Panthers (2-6, 0-3 SLIAC) at their own game, in a 142-109 donnybrook at Pohl Gym.
 
In all, seven new school single-game records were set by MUW, including sophomore transfer Tray Huguley obliterating the Owls' scoring record with 51 points (previously was 35 by Keith Harris in 2019 versus Belhaven). Huguley was a stellar 21-of-28 from the field, both also school game records. He was also 9-for-10 from the free throw line.
 
Huguley hauled in 11 rebounds, to give him his third-consecutive double-double game, as well. Huguley dished off four assists and had three blocks to his credit.
 
And while Huguley was on his way to a record scoring effort, teammate Joe Haze Austin accomplished something never before seen in The W men' hoops history: a triple-double game. Austin booked 22 points, pulled down 11 rebounds, and passed off for 12 assists. Just for good measure, Austin had seven steals and blocked five GU shots. All Austin's numbers – with the exception of points – were game-leading totals.
 
Not to be lost in the hugeness of Huguley's game and the haze of Haze's groundbreaking effort, was junior Tyler Shephard's best game of his young MUW career. Shephard had his first double-double with the Owls, finishing with season highs of 35 points and 10 rebounds, as well as seven assists and two blocks. He was an efficient 15-of-17 from the field and also managed three steals on defense.
 
Devin McCaine came off of the MUW bench to tally 16 points as his team's fourth double-figure scorer. McCaine hit 7-of-11 from the floor, while also assisting on six baskets, as well.
 
In addition to the three individual game records set, MUW set team records for points (142), field goals made (57), assists (41), and blocked shots (10). None of those records are much of a surprise, as The W's four highest scoring games in its history have all come versus the shoot-now-and-ask-questions-later style of Greenville over the years.
 
"We have a ton of respect for (Greenville) Coach Barber, his staff, and their kids and how hard they play," MUW Head Coach Dean Burrows said. "It's an unusual style as we were all well aware of. But games in our non-conference slate against the likes of Howard Payne and Belhaven gave us somewhat of an understanding of what today was going to be like. I'm really proud of our toughness, connectivity, unselfishness, and discipline, as we discussed the past few days heading in."
 
The two teams combined for some absolutely gaudy numbers, that kept the official scorer, board operator, and statistics crew on their toes for all 40 minutes (and may have contributed to some cases of carpel tunnel syndrome). The Panthers and Owls not only scored 251 points on the board, but attempted 183 field goals – making 100 – and generated 92 rebounds. There were 56 assists and 16 blocked shots, in total, for the contest. The teams produced 160 points in the paint (108 by MUW alone).
 
The Owls shot 73.1 percent from the field for the game (57-78) and had 70 fast-break points. That precipitated the statistical oddity of The W attempting just one three-point shot, which was made by Tyler Bohannon.
 
The W will be off until December 18, when it travels to Hendrix College. Tipoff in Conway, Arkansas, is slated for 1 p.m.