MUW pushes Jackson State before falling 85-70
MUW stayed within reach of Jackson State for much of Monday’s exhibition before the NCAA Division I Tigers pulled away for an 85-70 win. The loss counted as an exhibition for the NCAA Division III Owls and marked Jackson State’s first victory of the season, according to the source.
The Owls opened with a nine-point lead in the first quarter after Madison O’Dell made a 3-pointer for a 14-5 advantage. Jackson State rallied to lead 20-18 at the end of the quarter, then closed the first half with a 14-5 run to take a 43-31 lead.
MUW answered after halftime. Trailing 47-34 with 8:27 left in the third quarter, the Owls scored 13 of the next 14 points. Addison Howell’s two free throws cut the deficit to 48-47 with 4:51 remaining in the period. Jackson State carried a 59-49 lead into the fourth and kept a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
The Tigers led by as many as 21 points in the fourth quarter. O’Dell’s 3-pointer with 1:58 remaining brought MUW within 12, but the Owls could not close the gap further. Jackson State scored 48 points in the paint, accounting for 56% of its total.
O’Dell led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 9-for-17 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range. A’tiya Allen added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block. Howell had 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Senior guard Fantasia Wilson led the Owls with 10 rebounds and five assists; she also had three steals and four points. Cora Causey scored nine points, while Destiny Trice added six.
MUW was picked to finish second in the 2026-27 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference coaches’ poll after never qualifying for the league’s six-team postseason tournament in its first three seasons as a member. The team graduated all-conference players Mia Bowen and Conley Langford.
Coach Eric Vaughn said the Owls had lost to Jackson State by 50 points in his first season and by 70 last year. He praised Monday’s effort but said MUW needed to address its 29 turnovers. The Owls’ next scheduled exhibition is Thursday at Alcorn State, followed by a scheduled season opener Saturday at Millsaps College.
Source: Original Article
