CARLINVILLE, Ill. – The W men's basketball's, 82-80, St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) win at Blackburn College on Saturday was probably a little harder than it needed to be but, in the end, was still the squad's fifth-consecutive league victory. The Owls (8-6, 5-1 SLIAC) remained in a tie for second in the SLIAC standings by besting the Beavers (3-12, 2-4 SLIAC) on their home floor.
 
A win is a win, is a win. But MUW faithful had to hold their collective breath at the end. The W looked to be in cruise control mode with 3:28 left in the game and a 78-60 lead. But over the next 2:40 minutes, a combination of misses, ill-advised turnovers, and deft shooting by the Beavers, resulted in a 13-0 run that cut the Owls advantage to five points (78-73) with 48 seconds left.
 
A Tray Huguley layup got The W back in gear, 80-73. Tyler Shephard made two of four free throws, sandwiching a BC layup that put the score at a precarious, 82-75 with 24 seconds to play. A Beaver three-ball with 10 seconds left made it a four-point game and, after an Owls' turnover, the host Beavers added a layup as, thankfully for the guests, the game clock expired, 82-80.
 
Huguley and Devin McCaine led MUW's offense with 27 and 23 points, respectively. Huguley also had a game-high 16 rebounds, for his eighth double-double in the past nine contests. Huguley was 13-of-18 from the field, while also dishing four assists and blocking a pair of shots. It was his 12th double-figure scoring game in as many played this season for the sophomore.
  
McCaine hit 9-of-15 from the floor on his was to his 13th double-digit game out of 14. McCaine also passed off for four assists.
 
Shephard finished with 11 points, three assists, and three rebounds. Trent Walker had nine points, six rebounds and five assists to his credit. Joe Haze Austin chipped in eight points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
 
MUW owned the inside game, holding a 58-30 cushion on points in the paint. As a team, the Owls shot 56.5 percent from the floor (35-62), for their ninth game above 50-pecent field goal percentage in a game this year.
 
The W will next travel to Laurel, Miss., for a non-league bout at Southeastern Baptist College on Tuesday (Jan, 13/7 p.m.).