[wpbvideo id=’303340′]
SPRINGFIELD – The Drury Panthers blew open an 11-point halftime lead by outscoring William Jewell 19-2 to start the second half in a 77-53 win over the Cardinals on Thursday at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
Drury raised their record to 12-4 and 5-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while William Jewell dropped to 4-11 and 0-7 in the league.
The Panthers owned a 47-36 lead at the break and built the lead to as much as 28 in the second half. They held the Cardinals to just five made field goals and 17 points after halftime.
“When we started the game, I thought William Jewell’s pace on offense was a lot faster than our pace on defense,” said Drury head coach Steve Hesser. “We got that changed before halftime and on offense, got some stuff to the basket and made some nice plays.
“Overall, I’m proud of them. This was a step in the right direction.”
Tevin Foster led Drury’s balanced scoring effort with 15 points. Foster was one of four players in double-figures as Cameron Ricks added a career 14 points, Joshua Palmer had 11 and John William chipped in 10 points.
Patrick Whelan led William Jewell with 13 points.
The 53 points scored by the Cardinals are the fewest Drury has allowed in a game this season.
Drury is home again on Saturday as they face Rockhurst for their sixth annual Overflow the O’ game. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
