William Jewell Recap
The Maryville men's basketball team used a 20-3 run midway through the second half en route to a 58-51 triumph at William Jewell. The Saints hit seven of eight shots during the decisive run and held on for their third road victory of the season. Owen Long had a game-high 18 points and led Maryville with eight rebounds. Ari Jackson finished with 12 points, while Kamto Eze notched a career-high 11 points, six boards and a career-best six blocked shots.
 
What Happened
The defense forced William Jewell into missing its first 10 shots from the field. The Saints edged out to a 4-1 lead after baskets by JT Morgan and Owen Long. However, both offenses stalled out and the game stayed close as neither team could break away. The Cardinals held a four-point edge but Kansas City-native Kamto Eze scored on an out-of-bounds play, and Owen Long sank two free throws to tie the game 16-16 at halftime. Maryville's defense allowed the Cardinals to make just five of their 24 shots from the field (20.8 percent).
 
The Cardinals inched out to a 23-19 lead early in the second half before the Saints responded with six straight points. Eze powered up for a bucket, followed by two free throws apiece by Long and Daniel Farris and a 25-23 edge. WJC answered with an 8-0 run but Maryville came right back with eight consecutive points. Ari Jackson and Long sank back-to-back 3-pointers, and a Farris jumper pushed the Saints back on top 33-31 with 12 minutes left.
 
Jewell made a triple but the Saints ripped off another 12-0 burst. Long hit a jumper followed by two Jackson free throws. Eze hit one at the stripe, and after a Farris floater, Eze hammered home a dunk. Long splashed in a triple as the Saints went up 45-34 with 7:20 to go. The Cardinals trimmed the gap to eight but a Jackson jumper and drive by Davis Walker built the biggest lead of the night at 53-41. William Jewell made a late charge but the Saints held on for their third road victory of the season. Maryville shot 60 percent (15-of-25) in the second half, while holding WJC to an overall shooting percentage of just 31 percent.
 
Statistical Leaders
Points: Owen Long - 18
Rebounds: Owen Long - 8
3-Point Field Goals: Ari Jackson and Owen Long - 2
Assists: Daniel Farris - 5
Steals: Kamto Eze and Daniel Farris - 3
Blocked Shots: Kamto Eze - 6
 
Records
Maryville: 5-6, 5-6 GLVC
William Jewell: 1-10, 1-10 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints finish up on in the Kansas City area as they trek to Rockhurst Saturday afternoon. Maryville is back at home Tuesday, Jan. 26, when city-rival UMSL comes to Moloney Arena.