ST. LOUIS, Mo. -  The W men's basketball team defied the odds and made program history, defeating top-seed (and host) Webster University, 77-76, to win the 2026 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) tournament championship and, in the process, grab the leagues automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III national championship tournament. The SLIAC title and NCAA bid are both program firsts for the Owls (17-10).
 
"The (NCAA Power Index) gave us a zero-percent chance heading into the semifinals of making the NCAA tournament," MUW Head Coach Dean Burrows said. "But despite numbers, analytics, etc., you'll never be able to measure the heart of a group who continuously keeps coming back and responding. The leadership of our two seniors has been incredibly impressive and the difference for us, from my perspective, over the course of this run to go along with the play from our group. We talked about being confident, but humble while blocking out the 'noise' (both good and bad) and focusing on one another. I've been called a 'fighter' and I think our guys have taken on a little of my personality in that regard, and that was evident today.
 
"To be the first to do something, with the numbers stacked against us all season long, and on the opposition's home floor, is something this group and us as a staff will forever have with us."
 
The Owls rode their 1-2 punch of sophomore Tray Huguley and junior Tyler Shephard to the big win.  Huguley finished by securing his school-record 17th double-double of the year, wi5h 26 points and 13 rebounds, shooting a deft 10-for-13 from the floor. He also had three assists, three block, and three steals on his ledger.
 
Shephard, who has had a tremendous second half of the 2025-26 season, rolled up 23 points on an 8-for-14 shooting effort (including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc). Teammate Trent Walker added 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
 
But it was Walker who had what was the play of the game with just 16.1 seconds left in regulation.  The score was tied, 74-74, when The W's Shephard hoisted a three-ball and got his own rebound, flipping it to Walker as he stumbled toward the end line. Walker made an awkward move toward the basket and threw up a layup as he was knocked to the ground by WU's Adam Painter. The ball went in and Walker also made the free throw, for an old-fashioned three-point play that sealed the win, after the Gorloks missed a three pointer and then made an uncontested layup as the clock expired, for the final 77-76 score.
 
MUW kept up its NCAA Division III-leading field goal shooting as a team, in topping Webster for the second-consecutive meeting and tying the all-time series at 4-4. The Owls, entering the day hitting a SLIAC record 52.4 percent on the season, upped that by nailing 55.1 percent (27-49) in the title tilt.
 
Huguley and Joe Haze Austin were named to the all-tournament team. Walker was selected as the SLIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player award winner.
 
Now, The W will wait until the NCAA Division III bracket announcement on Monday (March 2/12 p.m.). The Owls have invited anyone interested in joining the team to view the selection show to be at the MUW Holland Hollow Student-Athlete Center (upstairs in Hogarth Campus Center) by 11:30 a.m. on Monday.