FULTON, Mo. -- The opening game of Saturday afternoon's doubleheader at Anderson Arena features two teams locked in a dogfight for the 2011-12 American Midwest Conference title as the William Woods University women's basketball team hosts Columbia College on Saturday afternoon. The teams come into the contest - set for a 2 p.m. tipoff - with identical 7-2 AMC records and the pair sits just a half-game in front of Williams Baptist. The winner takes a full game lead in the standings and becomes the odds-on favorite to take the regular season title as well.
Earlier This Season
The Owls picked up a historic win in the first meeting between the clubs on the 2011-12 slate, becoming the first team in the modern era to win on the road against Columbia.
Sharron Andrews led the team with 17 points on the night, with
Megan Aubuchon and
Ashlee Taylor each adding 11 as WWU walked out 69-64 winners on the evening.
Quick Look - William Woods
WWU enters this aftenoon with a 17-7 record on the season, led by
Sharron Andrews's 13.0 pts/gm, and while the Owls don't have another player averaging in double figures on the year, the team is far from one-dimensional. William Woods has seen a different leading scorer in each of the past seven games, with eight different players have recorded team highs over the course of the season. In addition to leading the Owl offense, Andrews is also tops in the steal department for William Woods, with her 60 steals good for 35th in the nation. Her per game pace of 2.5 is 37th in the country as well.
As a team, the Owls are ranked in a number of categories, highlighted by a stout defensive philosophy. WWU allows just 56.7 pts/gm to its foes on a shooting pace of .363, good for 17th and 22nd in the country respectively. The Owls are also among the top 50 on both sides of the rebounding ledger, grabbing 40.6 per game (40th) and allowing just 36.5 (34th). The margin of 4.167 per game is the 33rd-highest in the nation.
Megan Aubuchon is the team's leading rebounder, hauling in 7.2 per game on the campaign, with Andrews just behind her at 6.1 per contest.
Miranda Loesch (4.7/gm),
Ashlee Taylor (4.5/gm) and
Katie Scherder (4.1/gm) round out the rebounding crew for the Owls. Aubuchon and Taylor are also solid contributors offensively, with 9.6 pts/gm and 8.5 pts/gm respectively on the year.
The Owls have also been solid in blocks on the season, with 74 rejections to 41 for its opponents. As a team, the Owls have hit at a .387 pace from the floor this year, with a .318 mark from beyond the arc. WWU has also posted a solid .686 pace from the free throw line, with its opponents able to muster just a .637 pace from the stripe.
Quick Look - Columbia
The Cougars have matched the Owls winning pace on the season but have suffered one more non-league loss to bring a 17-8 record into today's contest. Columbia has seen a bit of attrition on its roster over the course of the season, as they've used just seven players in league play from a season-opening roster of 11, with one mid-year addition. Heather English leads the cougars with 16.9 pts/gm in league play, with Airelle Eldridge adding 13.4 and Julie Teeple knocking in 12.0 per contest. Teeple is also the leading rebounder for the Cougars with 7.9 per game on the year, with English pulling down 6.7 per game.
Milestone Watch
WWU head coach
Dan Chapla is within reach of two milestone wins. In his fourth year at the helm, he needs just three wins to reach 100 career wins for William Woods, and would become the third coach to reach the milestone for the Owls. He is all but guaranteed of reaching the mark faster than any other coach at WWU, as Roger Ternes hit the mark in his 159th game (100-59) and Melissa Brooks needed 195 games (100-95) to do it. He also needs just one victory to reach the 50-win plateau in league play and just three wins to become the winningest league coach in school history.
Putting The Student First In Student-Athlete
Senior
Megan Aubuchon was recently named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 7 Team in the University Division. The honor, the first such accolade for William Woods University, recognizes Aubuchon as a standout on both the court and in the classroom. To be eligible for the award, players must have earned a 3.300 GPA or higher, must have completed one full year at the institution, and must be a regular contributor to the team. With the district honor, the Physical Education major moves on to national balloting.
