COLUMBUS, Miss. – The W men's basketball found itself out of sorts in a 59-58 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) setback at the hands of Blackburn College.  The Owls' (10-10, 6-5 SLIAC) loss to the Beavers (6-15, 5-7 SLIAC) was the team's first defeat at home in seven games this season.
 
Despite a close game the entire way – neither team led by more than single digits – MUW never seemed to find its stride. Entering the game as the No. 1 shooting team in all of NCAA Division III at nearly 53 percent, the Owls managed to convert just 39 percent (19-49) versus BC. The 58 points tallied by The W on Thursday was also well below its average of 85.2 points per game entering the night.
 
Those drops correlated with the Beavers' defense versus Owls' sophomore Tray Huguley, the SLIAC's second-leading scorer. Huguley was limited to 10 field goal attempts, making three, to finish with 13 points (averaging 23.8 point per game entering the night). Huguley, who leads the SLIAC in rebounds, added to that stat line with 16 boards, good for his on-going school record 12th double-double game of the year. He also has scored in double figures in all 18 games played this season.
 
Devin McClaine's 15 points led the MUW team. McClaine was 5-of-11 from the floor.
 
Joe Haze Austin was the third Owl in double figures, with 11 points. Austin hauled in five rebounds, dished off five assists, and made five steals.
 
Tyler Shephard finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds. Senior teammate Trent Walker added eight points and seven boards.
 
MUW held a 37-32 lead at the half, but found itself outscored by Blackburn in the second segment, 27-21.
 
The W will look to snap its current four-game SLIAC slide on Saturday, February 7 (3 p.m.), when it hosts Eureka College at Pohl Gym.