Fulton, Mo. -- The Friends University Falcons fell to the William Woods University Owls 797-3 in a closely contested matchup today (Dec. 17) at Anderson Arena in Fulton, Mo. 

Following a slow start that saw the Owls jump out to a 15-2 lead more than eight minutes into the contest,  Friends responded with a rally behind 14 straight points from KJ Spiller.  Spiller scored 16 overall of a 19-5 burst that gave the Falcons their first lead at 21-20. A dunk by Ring Deng extended the lead up to 25-20 and the Falcons continued to close the half strong and led 36-28 at the break.  

After a three by Kee'on Hutton and a layup from Deng pushed the Falcon lead to 13 at 45-32 early in the second half, it was the Owls turn to surge, outscoring the Falcons 15-3 over nearly a five-minute span to come within one. 

The Falcons managed to stave off the Owls for a period of time, stretching the lead back to five on three more occasions and still leading by four following a dunk by Hutton at the 7:10 mark of the second half. 

But the Owls had the final push, scoring the next eight points as part of a 15-2 run to take a nine-point lead with just 1:39 left. 

The closest the Falcons came from that point was the final six-point margin. 

Spiller topped the Falcons (8-4) with 26 points,  while also recording three steals. Randy Woolf, Jr. contributed significantly with 13 points, five assists, and five rebounds. Deng added 12 points and achieved a team-high four steals. Cahlese Lee showed defensive prowess with two steals and added eight points. 

Tre Titus was effective from beyond the arc for the Owls (12-2), hitting three 3-pointers and scoring a total of 14 points. Francis Okwuosah led the team in both points (15 points) and rebounds (seven) and D'Mari Wiltz tallied a game-high nine assists. Nate Schwartze added 14 points, with Kevin Taylor scoring 11 and Henry Shannon III chipping in with 10. 

Both teams shot the ball well, with the Falcons recording a 48.2 percent (27-of-56) clip and the Owls shooting 49.1 percent (26-of-53) from the field. 

Game Notes:
- The Falcons will now take time off for the Christmas Break before embarking on an exhibition game at Wichita State University on Dec. 29 and then a home tilt vs. Hastings College at 1 pm.