William Jewell recap
Despite a season-high 22 points from Jalen Gant, the Maryville men's basketball team was edged 83-77 by William Jewell Thursday evening. Owen Long narrowly missed a double-double as he recorded season highs with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Williams also nearly had a double-double with 10 points and a season-high nine rebounds.
 
What Happened
Late in the first half, the Saints were holding a narrow 33-32 lead before Dezmond McDaniel hit a jumper, and two free throws by Williams pushed Maryville to a 37-32 edge at intermission. Gant knocked down a jumper on the first possession of the second half as the Saints went up 39-32. The Saints still led 43-36 after a long jumper by Parker Long at the 17:15 mark.
 
The Cardinals tied the game at 48-48 before Gant scored inside and McDaniel hit a deep 3-pointer with 12 minutes to play. However, the Saints offense would not find the range for nearly four minutes as William Jewell pulled to an eight-point lead. Gant sank two free throws and made a jumper in close to cut the deficit to 61-57 with 7:53 remaining in the game. The Saints kept making charges and drew to within 78-73 in the final minute but were unable to trim the gap to one possession.
 
Statistical Leaders
Points: Jalen Gant – 22
Rebounds: Owen Long and Chris Williams – 9
3-Point Field Goals: Owen Long and Dezmond McDaniel – 2
Assists: Parker Long – 5
Steals: Jalen Gant – 3
Blocked Shots: Ross Ryan and Kamto Eze – 2
 
Records
Maryville: 4-12, 0-9 GLVC
William Jewell: 7-10, 2-7 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints head out on the road to play at Rockhurst Saturday, Jan. 25. The contest is the first of three straight away from Moloney Arena.