FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The William Woods University women's basketball team returns to its fourth straight national tournament after claiming its third American Midwest Conference Tournament title in four years with a thrilling win over Columbia College. The 25th-ranked Owls will take on the eighth-ranked Shawnee State University Eagles in the first game of the 2012 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship presented by Kentuckytourism.com, a 7:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. EDT) Wednesday tipoff.
This is the first time that these two teams have ever met, although they have shared opponents on the 2011-12 slate. In non-conference action, both schools defeated Peru State College; WWU prevailed by a 75-60 margin and SSU ran out 83-65 winners. Campbellsville is also a common opponent on the schedule, with WWU besting the Tigers 59-53 in the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic, while Shawnee State swept the season series - winning 62-60 at home and prevailing 62-58 on the road - against Campbellsville.
Quick Look - William Woods
The Owls come into the first round of the NAIA National Championship with a 23-9 record and are currently in the midst of a five-game winning streak. WWU claimed its berth in the tournament after earning its third AMC Tournament championship in four years with a win over Columbia College, who was also selected as an at-large qualifier. This is the fifth appearance at the NAIA National Tournament for William Woods and the fourth consecutive trip to the tournament in
Dan Chapla's tenure.
Offensively,
Sharron Andrews leads the Owls with 12.9 pts/gm, with
Megan Aubuchon chipping in 10.1 pts/gm and
Ashlee Taylor knocking down 9.5 pts/gm. WWU is also solid on the glass, with Aubuchon leading the team with 7.1 boards per contest and Andrews adding 6.3 per game on the year.
Miranda Loesch (4.7/gm) and Taylor (4.6/gm) round out the glass cleaning crew for William Woods on the year.
A strong defensive presence has been key for the Owls this season, with WWU ranked in the top 20 in a pair of defensive categories. Chapla's squad is ranked 15th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 56.6 pts/gm for its opponents on just .358 shooting, the 19th-best defensive mark in the country. The Owls are also ranked 22nd in rebound defense, allowing just 35.7 per game for its opponents, with WWU ranking across the board in rebounding with a per-game margin of +4.813 (26th) and an average rebounding pace of 40.5 per game (40th).
William Woods is also ranked in a number of other categories on the year, including a recent surge in blocks. The Owls are ranked 21st in the country with 107 blocks and 26th with a per-game pace of 3.344. WWU has also picked up its shooting over the past several games, with its 3-pt shooting climbing to a .320 pace - good for 28th among NAIA Division I squads - to go with a .402 overall pace (44th). The ease with which the Owls rolled through the tail end of the AMC slate and the first two rounds of the AMC tournament also boosted the Owls to the 36th-best margin of victory in the country at a +6.656 mark.
Individually four Owls are ranked nationally, highlighted by freshman
Blake French. Her assist/turnover ratio of 1.714 is the 28th-best in the country, while the Owls as a team post a 0.766 mark, good for 34th. Andrews is ranked 31st in the nation with 77 total steals - her per-game pace of 2.406 is good for 32nd - with the Owls ranked 38th as a team with 296 overall steals. Aubuchon rounds out the individual superlatives, with her 33 blocks the 47th-best total on the year so far.
Quick Look - Shawnee State
Shawnee State brings a 27-5 record into the tournament and was on a 13-game winning streak prior to falling 70-73 in the Mid-South Conference Tournament final to Cumberlands. This is the second time the Bears have qualified for the NAIA National Tournament, following a semi-final appearance in 2011. Shawnee State received an at-large selection to the tournament this year as the regular season co-champions of the MSC.
The Bears have a potent offense, with five players averaging in double figures on the year. Topping the charts is Alannah Sheets with an average pace of 14.6 pts/gm. Alex Pohl adds 13.5 pts/gm for Shawnee State and is the top rebounder for the squad, pulling down 9.5 boards per game. Abby Ballman contributes 13.0 pts/gm on the campaign, with Schera Sampson adding 11.8 pts/gm in limited action to go with 6.5 rebounds per contest. The scoring is rounded out by Catrice Mitchell's 11.2 pts/gm.
Nationally, Shawnee State is ranked in a number of categories, highlighted by the team's shooting pace of .447, good for fourth in the nation. The Bears are also ranked in 3-pt shooting (.331/16th) and free throw shooting (.672/50th) and also hold down the 15th-best scoring average in the country with a rate of 74.438 per game. The team is also ranked on the glass, with the 17th-best rebounding margin of +6.375 and the 23rd-best per game rebounding pace of 42.156.
Shawnee State is also solid defensively, allowing opponents to hit at just a .369 rate from the floor - 27th-best among NAIA Division I squads - and just .283 from long range - 35th in the nation. As a result, the Bears post the 25th-lowest opponent scoring pace in the country, allowing just 62.656 pts/gm through 32 games.
Follow Live
Fans can catch all of the action of the 2012 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship presented by Kentuckytourism.com through NeuLion, the NAIA's Digital Media Partner. The first 30 matches from Frankfort, Ky., will be available via live video stream for $29.95 and any single day can be purchased for $9.95. Also, one can purchase the all-tournament package of all four basketball tournaments for $49.95. For more information, visit www.naia.org. Live stats for all William Woods games will be available at wwuowls.com as well.
