The no. 23-ranked William Woods University women's basketball team returns home for a non-conference tilt on Tuesday night against Lindenwood University-Belleville. Tipoff for the game, presented by PEAK Performance, is set for 7 p.m.
Matchup
This is the second time this season that the two schools have played one another. William Woods traveled to Lindwood-Belleville and scored a 73-60 victory in its season opener. The Owls had four players score double digits that night, led by the 16-point debut of junior college transfer
Priscila Santos.
The Owls come into Tuesday's matchup sporting a 5-1 overall record. They are averaging 67.2 points per game while allowing only 56.2 points per contest.
William Woods features a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging better than nine points per game. Santos leads the group at 12.2 points per game.
The Lynx come into Anderson Arena with a 7-6 record overall on the year. LU-B averages 68.7 points per game while giving up 74.4 points per contest.
Lindenwood-Belleville has three players averaging double figures with senior Bernie Brown leading the trio with 13.3 points per game.
Last Time Out
The Owls were defeated at NCAA Division I opponent Western Illinois 70-53 in an exhibition game on Saturday afternoon.
WWU was able to hang tough with WIU for 32 minutes and were down only four points at 48-44 with 8:43 left to play. The Leathernecks would close out the game on a 22-9 run to seal the victory.
William Woods was led by a pair of 16-point performances from senior
Olivia Storjohann and junior
Katie Scherder.
Strength In Numbers
William Woods has had at least three players score double digits in all six games this season and have five players averaging better than nine points per game. Junior
Priscila Santos leads the team with her 12.2 points per game average. Seniors
Ashlee Taylor (9.8 ppg) and
Olivia Storjohann (9.5 ppg) follow closely behind Santos, while juniors
Stephanie Copelin (9.5 ppg) and
Katie Scherder (9.3 ppg) round out the group.
Tenacious D
William Woods is holding its opposition to 56.2 points per game on .347 shooting. The Owls have been particularly stingy behind the arc allowing a .253 shooting percentage.
WWU has also applied pressure on the ball handlers this season forcing 92 turnovers in six games this year, an average of 15.3 per game.
Hitting The Boards
Early in the season the Owls have four players averaging over five rebounds a game. Juniors
Priscila Santos and
Stephanie Copelin are tied for the team lead with 6.3 caroms per game. Freshman
Julia Wells has averaged 5.8 rebounds per game and senior
Olivia Storjohann has gathered 5.3 boards per contest.
Super Sub
Despite not starting a game yet in the 2012-13 season, junior
Priscila Santos leads the team with 12.2 points per game and is tied for the team lead in rebounds with 6.3 per game.
Shooting At The Line
Early in the season William Woods has been winning the battle at the charity stripe. The Owls rank fifth in the nation in free throw percentage at .759.
Junior
Priscila Santos ranks 21st nationally with a .808 mark on 21-of-26 shooting, while freshman
Julia Wells is 28th in the NAIA at .792 on 19-of-24 shooting.
Wells went 11-of-13 at the charity stripe during last Tuesday's win over College of the Ozarks.
Distributing With Care
The Owls rank 12th in the NAIA in assist/turnover ratio at .988. WWU averages 14.0 assists per game and 14.2 turnovers.
A Quick Look-Lindenwood Universty-Belleville
The Lynx are 7-6 overall on the year and are riding a modest two-game winning streak. LU-B averages 68.7 points per game and shoots .417 from the field.
They have struggled on the defensive side of the ball this season. LU-B is allowing 74.4 points per contest and teams are shooting .444 against them.
Lindenwood-Belleville has three players averaging double figures with senior Bernie Brown leading the trio with 13.3 points per game, Taylor James is averaging 11.7 and Brooke Dunning rounds out the group at 10.2 points per contest.
Taking care of the ball has been tough for LU-B this season. They are averaging 20.8 turnovers a game.
Another area of concern this year for the Lynx has been on the offensive glass where they have been outrebounded 177-153. They have been able to make up the difference on the defensive side by outrebounding the opposition 345-318.
Even though they have made two more total field goals than their opponents on the season, LU-B has averaged almost five fewer points per outing. The Lynx have given up 68 three-point shots and have connected on only 39 shots and have been outscored 213-164 at the free throw line.
