SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - The William Jewell men's basketball team got off to a slow start offensively on Thursday night and nearly pulled off a big comeback in the second half but fell short, 72-60, on the road at Drury University. The loss drops the Cardinals to 9-9 on the season, 6-4 in conference play. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams traded buckets early as Jewell led 11-8 after a layup from Grant Stubbs with just under 14 to play. Drury finished the half on an 32-10 run to take a 40-21 advantage into the intermission. 
• Jewell came out of the break and immediately cut the deficit to a dozen after a three from Stubbs but the Panthers were able to push things back to 19 just four minutes later. The Cardinal offense finally found its rhythm and went on a 20-3 run, led by 14 points from Mason Alexander who went 4-for-4 from long range over a span of six-plus minutes. A layup by Heri Tshiyoyo made it a two point game, 58-56 with under three minutes to play. 
• The Panthers got back-to-back scores, including a three by Riley Naeger, to push their lead back to seven and made good on seven free throws over the final 90 seconds to make it a 12-point game at the end. 

KEY STATS

• Stubbs scored a team high 16 points, including 13 in the first half to keep the Cardinals close. 
• Alexander, who became the Cardinals all-time leader in career minutes during the game, added 14 while Jordan Jermain finished with 13 points and a career high seven assists. 
• Tshiyoyo pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds. 
• Jewell shot 38% from the floor but were hindered by a 25% clip from three point land, going 7-for-28. 
• The Cardinals outscored Drury in the second half 39-32.

UP NEXT
Jewell will look to bounce back on Saturday as they host Southwest Baptist at 3 p.m. in the Mabee Center.