Dominant Second Half Powers WBU to Home Victory
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Principia College (1-4) | 35 | 34 | 69 |
|
Williams Baptist (AR) (4-0) | 42 | 63 | 105 |
WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. (11/19/25) – The Williams Baptist University men's basketball team outscored Principia 63-34 in the second half to cruise to a 105-69 victory over the Panthers inside the Southerland-Mabee Center on Wednesday night.
Jesse Washington scored over 30 points for the second consecutive game, shooting 11-of-20 from the field, with 19 of those points coming in the second half. Washington also tied for the team lead in rebounds with Kylen Kelly at 13.
Benjamin Noonan broke out for 25 points, 14 of which came at the charity stripe. Noonan's 14 free throws tie for the fourth-most free throws made by an individual in a game at WBU. Deion Wesson also piled on 21 points on 8-of-18 shooting from the field.
As a unit, WBU went 33-of-73 from the field (45.2 percent) and 9-of-30 (30.0 percent) from three-point range. WBU went 28-for-40 from the free-throw line, tying for the fourth-most free throws made in a game at WBU. The Eagles held Principia to 21.1 percent shooting from downtown and did not allow a single three-pointer in the second half.
Williams owned the rebound battle 56-36, scored 28 second-chance points, and scored 27 points off turnovers.
The first half was tightly contested as both teams traded the lead. The first half featured seven ties and eight lead changes. Down 29-28 with under five minutes to play in the half, Amarion Wilson hit a three to put the Eagles up 31-29. The Wilson triple kicked off a 14-6 run, punctuated by two dunks from Benjamin Noonan to give WBU a 42-35 lead going into halftime.
Williams went on a heater in the second half, shooting 55.0 percent from the field and tying for the fourth most points scored in a half with 64.
WBU went on a 24-4 run in the second half that put the Eagles in full control of the ballgame. A layup from Jamichael Franklin pushed the Eagles across the century mark, then a James Blair trey gave Williams its largest lead of the night at 40 points with 1:28 to play.
The win moves Williams to 4-0 overall on the season. Next, the Eagles will travel to face Illinois-Springfield in an exhibition matchup on Friday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. from Springfield, Mo.