The William Woods University women's basketball team returns to the hardwood for a pair of games this weekend, taking on Saint Gregory's University on Saturday and AIB College of Business on Sunday. The games are part of the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic, hosted by Columbia College, with tipoff set for 2 p.m. on both days. The Owls are returning to the court after a three-week layoff and look to close out their non-conference schedule on a winning note.
Saturday's Matchup
Both teams enter Friday's game with seven wins on the slate, but WWU has suffered only one loss in eight games, with St. Gregory's dropping five contests in 12 on the year. Offensively, the Owls and Cavaliers are close to even, with WWU averaging 65.6 pts/gm and SGU putting in 67.1 per game. The Owls have been better on the defensive end, however, with an average margin of 10.9 pts/gm, to just a 9.4 pts/gm cushion for SGU.
The Owls have been the better-shooting team overall on the year, hitting at a .398 pace to SGU's .371 pace, but the Cavaliers have made up for the slight accuracy hit by letting fly from distance. SGU hits at a .297 pace from beyond the arc - just slightly better than WWU's .292 accuracy - but they rattle home 8.5 treys per contest to just 4.75 for the Owls.
The Owls are slightly better on the boards, grabbing 41.4 per game and holding a margin of 2.6 per game. SGU has averaged 41.2 per game, but give up an average of 41.5 to their opponents.
Sunday's Matchup
William Woods has lost as many games coming into the weekend's slate as AIB College of Business has won, as the Eagles bring a 1-10 record to Columbia. The Owls have been significantly better in all phases of the game save two, outscoring the Eagles 65.6-59.4 on the year, and hitting at a .398 overall pace to AIB's .320 mark. There's nearly a 30-point gap in scoring margin between the teams, as WWU is 10.9 pts/gm to the good over its foes while AIB gives up an average of 18.6 per contest.
On the boards, the Owls average 41.4 per game to a 39.9 pace for the Eagles, with WWU holding an edge of 2.7 per game to a deficit of 5.1 per game for AIB. The Owls also manage the ball much better, giving up just 15.8 turnovers per game to a pace of 22.5 per contest for AIB, with the Owls holding a better assist/turnover ratio as well - .833 to .514 - on the season.
The Eagles have been able to grab 12.2 steals per game, to just 7.8 for WWU, and have also averaged 3.2 blocks per game to WWU's 2.1.
Last Time Out
The no. 19 Owls cemented a 63-57 win over Haskell Indian Nations University with a shot-clock beating trey from
Katie Scherder. The junior recovered a loose ball near halfcourt and banked in a three-pointer from the corner with less than 30 seconds left.
William Woods was able to overcome a slow start on the night to finish with four players in double digits, led by
Destani Stensrud's 13-point outing. Defensively, the Owls took care of business in the second half, holding the Indians to a .333 shooting percentage in the frame.
Balanced Attack
While the Owls have managed 65.6 pts/gm on the year, there hasn't been a single player to key on to ensure success.
Ashlee Taylor and Priscilla Santos are each averaging 10.1 pts/gm on the year - the only two Owls in double digits on the year - but five players are averaging eight points or better per contest.
Stephanie Copelin is knocking in 9.6 pts/gm on the year, with
Olivia Storjohann adding 8.6 and
Katie Scherder chipping in 8.4 per contest.
The Owls have not seen a game this year without at least one double-digit scorer, and have been held to just one 10-point scorer in just one contest on the year, a 59-44 win over Lindenwood University-Belleville.
Taking Advantage Of Charity
William Woods has been solid at the free throw stripe on the year, hitting at a .756 pace through eight games. The mark is good for fourth in the country, with
Priscila Santos holding down 18th individually with an .821 accuracy rate.
Julia Wells ranks 47th in the country with a .759 success rate, having battled her way into the standings with a 11-for-13 performance in the Owls' 74-62 win over College of the Ozarks.
Those performances, however, aren't even the best on the team, as both
Ashlee Taylor and
Blake French have posted better shooting percentages on the year. Each has missed on just two trips to the line on the year - Taylor posting a .900 mark on 18-of-20 shooting and French hitting 13 of 15 for a .867 pace. Neither Taylor nor French have hit the 2.5 FTM plateau for national ranking, however, although they would land second and fourth respectively on the list.
Win Big, Lose Small
William Woods has posted good-sized margins in each of its seven wins on the year, taking home victory by two possessions or more in each of its seven wins on the year. The lone setback for the Owls came by just one point, a 61-60 defeat at Central Methodist University.
Their average margin of victory of 10.875 is 36th best in the country.
Hard-Nosed Defense
One of the hallmarks of head coach
Dan Chapla's style is a solid defense, and this year's Owls squad has lived up to expectations. WWU is currently ranked 21st in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 54.8 pts/gm on the year. The Owls are 13th in field-goal defense, allowing foes to hit at just a .343 pace from the floor, and hold opponents to a 18th-best .248 pace from beyond the arc.
Stock In Windex?
Ranked 13th in the country in defensive rebounds per game at 29.0, the Owls have definitely cleaned the glass well this year. WWU holds a margin of 2.625 per game on the year and like its offensive output, the Owls have seen the workload spread across the roster. Four players are averaging five rebounds or better, led by junior
Stephanie Copelin's pace of 6.0 per game. Senior
Olivia Storjohann has grabbed 5.9 boards per contest, with
Priscila Santos (5.3) and
Julia Wells (5.1) rounding out the quartet.
Indeed, the Owls have only been outrebounded once on the year - at Evangel University - although the Owls gritted out the 60-54 win by forcing 19 turnovers in the game and giving up just seven.
Super Sub
Priscila Santos has been outstanding in a sixth-woman role this season, averaging 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Owls In The Cougars Vs. Cancer Classic
Since the tournament's launch in the 2001-02 season, the Owls have been the only other 10-time invitee to the event aside from host Columbia College. The Owls have posted a 11-9 record in the neutral-site competitions over the years, and are currently riding a three-game winning streak. WWU swept through last year's installment with a 59-53 upset win over then-no. 12 Campbellsville University and a 75-60 win over Peru State University.
In the
Dan Chapla era, the Owls have posted a 9-1 record, with the only loss - a 59-67 setback to then-no. 3 Campbellsville - coming in the 2010-11 season.
A Look At The Cavaliers
St. Gregory's University comes into the weekend's action with a 7-5 record, having picked up a pair of wins over American Midwest Conference foes on the year. The Cavaliers split a home and home series with Park on the year, falling 49-41 on the road before dispatching the Pirates by a 56-44 scoreline. The Cavaliers also handed no. 23 Lyon their lone loss on the season, as SGU bested the Scots 73-59 in a Nov. 24 matchup in Batesville, Ark.
SGU averages 67.1 pts/gm on the year, led by Leticia Silva's 15.5 pts/gm average, the 45th-best pace in the nation. The senior is one of two players in double figures for the Cavaliers, with Arionna Taylor adding 10.5 points per contest as well. Porsche Young is just shy of the 10-point plateau, chipping in 9.5 per game.
The Cavaliers hit at a .371 pace on the year and are not shy about letting fly from distance, as they have attempted nearly half of their overall shots on the year (343 of 734) from beyond the arc. As a team, St. Gregory's hits at a .297 accuracy rate, with Silva's .426 (23-54) rate an outlier on the squad and good for 23rd in the country.
The Sooner Athletic Conference squad is evenly matched on the boards, pulling down 41.2 per game and allowing 41.5 for their opponents. They give up a slight (1.3/gm) deficit on the offensive glass, but have held their opponents to a .347 shooting pace from the floor and just 39 3FGM on the year to muster nearly a 10-point average margin on the year. The Cavaliers have averaged 67.1 pts/gm on the year while allowing just 57.7. Part of the defensive effort for SGU comes from Kalie Lucas' inside presence, as she ranks fourth in the nation in total blocks (29) and blocks per game (2.42).
SGU is also among the national rankings in a number of categories as a team, highlighted by top-10 rankings in 3FGM/gm (4th-8.5) and blocks per game (8th-4.42).
A Look At The Eagles
NAIA Division II AIB College of Business has managed just one win on the year, coming into the weekend's action with a 1-10 record. The Eagles have averaged 59.4 pts/gm on the year, but have had an up and down season with a 50-point spread between high and low games on the year. They scored 84 points in their lone win of the year - an 84-70 home victory over NAIA Div. I foe Graceland - and were held to just 34 points in an 87-34 loss to Dordt.
Megan Howard leads the Eagle offense, averaging 11.0 pts/gm on the year, with Katira Young chipping in 9.9 per game. Hannah Redenius is the leading rebounder for the Eagles, grabbing 9.0 boards per game. She has contributed 89 points and 18 blocks on the year as well.
Defensively, the Eagles haven't been outstanding, allowing opponents a .419 shooting percentage and giving up 78.0 pts/gm on the year. They have also struggled on the boards, with a 45.0-39.9 deficit on the year. AIB has managed to force 229 turnovers in 11 contests on the year, but have coughed up the ball 247 times.
Despite its struggles as a team on the year, AIB is ranked sixth among NAIA Division II teams with a .752 free throw shooting percentage on the year, with Megan Howard topping the individual charts with an accuracy rate of .956, having connected on 43 of 45 chances at the charity stripe. The Eagles are also ranked 17th with 12.182 steals per game as a team, with Howard's mark of 2.818 good for 17th individually.
