Courtesy Williams Baptist College Athletics Department
Walnut Ridge, Ark. – The Eagles from Williams Baptist College improved to 9-1 at home this season with a 78-73 victory over the Scots of Lyon College on Saturday. It was the second time this season the Eagles scored 78 against the Scots, as they won at Lyon 78-67 on January 5.
It was a slow start for the Eagles, as they fell behind 7-0 three minutes into the contest, but Head Coach Josh Austin inserted Dustin House into the game and the Williams offense woke up.
House would have an immediate impact making a three pointer on his first possession. That was just the beginning for House, as he proceeded to make his first six 3-point field goal attempts. He scored all 18 of his points in the first half.
“Dustin did excellent job coming off the bench and breaking things open. He was a game changer. He was a big reason we won this game today,” said Austin. After House got the offense rolling the Eagles would open up a first half lead as high as 11 before going into halftime up 37-28.
The Scots came out of halftime steaming, cutting the lead to three within three minutes. “We came out sluggish and we weren’t aggressive like we had been in the first half,” said Austin. Lyon took the lead 59-57 with seven minutes remaining in the game after a 3-point field goal by Devonte Young.
Williams senior Zabian Sanders came down the court and answered with a three- point basket to put Williams back on top. “We rely heavily on our seniors, and Zabian had struggled up to that point, but we have a lot of faith in his ability,” said Austin.
Kyle Harvey finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for another double-double, his eighth on the season. He has scored at least nine points in every game this season. Sanders chipped in with 14 points and Chase Norwood scored eight points with 10 rebounds.
The Eagles out rebounded the Scots 46-36 in the contest. After turning the ball over 13 times in the first half, WBC only coughed it up four times in the second frame.
“We rebounded, took care of the ball, and made free throws down the stretch. We will win many games if we can do those things,” added Austin.
The win improves WBC’s record to 15-8 overall and 6-4 in the American Midwest Conference. The Eagles sit in a two way tie for third place in the conference standings, one game behind Park University.
Williams has a week off before they travel to Parkville, Mo., to play against Park. The game will be played on Saturday, February 9 at 4 p.m. Following that contest, they will return home to play William Woods University on Monday, February 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 that evening.