RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Behind 15 second-half points from Alex Brown and a game-saving block by Bennie Lufile, the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys remained perfect at home this season with a 78-74 win over William Woods on Wednesday.
 
NEXT UP
The Wonder Boys will travel to Joplin, Mo. next week for a Monday night contest with Missouri Southern on Dec. 19. A 6 p.m. tip is scheduled. Live video, audio and statistics will be available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Montrell Williams opened the scoring with a free-throw 17 seconds into the game, and Arkansas Tech (4-2, 2-2 GAC) held the lead for over 14 minutes in the 20-minute first half.
• William Woods (8-4) took a 30-29 lead into halftime, however, behind a 45.2 percent field-goal percentage. The Owls held the Wonder Boys to just 23.3 percent from the floor.
• The Wonder Boys struggled from three-point range in the first half, netting just 6-27. Tech pulled down 14 offensive rebounds that resulted in nine second-chance points to keep the Wonder Boys in the game.
• The Owls maintained their lead for the first six minutes of the second half, but a 23-4 run by the Wonder Boys allowed Tech to claim its largest lead of 10 points with 11:50 to play. The streak started with consecutive threes by Mason Cline and was highlighted by a breakaway dunk by Lufile to force a William Woods timeout.
• Despite never leading by more than 10, the Wonder Boys held off the Owls until a three-pointer by WWU's Trey Mitchell pulled the Owls within two points with 20 seconds remaining. Then, a turnover on Tech's next possession gave the ball back to William Woods with a chance to tie the score.
• The Owls attempted a game-tying layup with seven seconds to go, but Lufile's third block of the game denied basket. Freddy Lee grabbed the rebound off the block and then hit two free-throws to secure the win.  
• Tech's shooting greatly improved in the second half, as the Wonder Boys netted 60 percent of their field goals. Arkansas Tech also controlled the lane, outscoring the Owls 18-14 in the paint.

 
NOTABLES

• Brown's 15 points in the second half came on 7-8 shooting from the floor. He finished 19 points to lead the Wonder Boys.
• Lufile and Grant Prusator added 13 points each, while Lufile led all players with 12 rebounds, eight of them offensive, three blocks and three steals.
• Cline provided a spark from Tech's bench, tallying four three-pointers for a total of 12 points. Justin Graham played 38 of the 40 minute contest, setting career-highs with nine boards and nine assists.

 
COACH KLINE SAYS

• "I thought there was a lid on the goal in the first half. We shot too many threes for one, but I thought we had some good looks, looks we are used to making, and they just were not going in. So, we made a conscious effort at halftime that we were going to drive the ball, and we were going to get it to the rim or go to the free-throw line."