William Woods University held off a late Culver-Stockton rally to secure an 81-72 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory at Anderson Arena in Fulton, Mo., Wednesday night.

The Wildcats, who never led in the game, trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half before cutting the deficit to five points with 50 seconds to play. However, the Owls made all four free throws and a layup to pick up the home victory.

C-SC dug itself a hole with poor shooting in the opening 20 minutes, making just 8 of 27 shots (29 percent) to trail 40-27 at the intermission.

The Wildcats found the range in the second half, making 50 percent (19-38) of its shots to shoot their way back into the game. C-SC also forced 12 WWU turnovers and scored 20 points off those mistakes.

Ramzi Salem came off the bench to net a team-high 24 points, which was just one point off his previous high of 25 against Grand View on Nov. 15. He was 8-for-17 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the 3-point line.

Damont Hanton added 18 markers while Travis Green III and Kamren Wires each chipped in with eight points each.

The Wildcats held a slim 36-35 edge on the glass with Alex Jackson IV pulling down nine caroms. Salem and Wires contributed five rebound each.

C-SC is slated to travel to St. Louis, Mo., for a non-conference game this Friday, Dec. 6, at Health Sciences and Pharmacy. Game time is set for 6 p.m. The Wildcats defeated the Eutectics 95-62 back on Nov. 4 in Canton.