The William Woods University women's basketball team looks to continue its six-game winning streak in its American Midwest Conference home opener on Saturday. The Owls host Harris-Stowe State University in a 2 p.m. game, with admission free as part of Community Night.
The Matchup
WWU brings a 10-1 record into Saturday's contest, while HSSU has mustered just a 3-10 overall record on the year. The Hornets dropped their AMC opener to Lyon College by a 71-62 scoreline on Thursday night, while the Owls pulled away early and coasted to an 88-67 win over Benedictine University at Springfield.
The Owls have averaged 67.6 pts/gm on the year to just 61.8 for the Hornets, with WWU outscoring its opponents by 11.9 points per as the Hornets give up 4.2 per game. HSSU holds a slight shooting edge from beyond the arc (.315-.283) with the teams nearly even overall (WWU - .402; HSSU - .396), but the Hornets are just better than 50 percent from the free throw line (.547) compared to a .706 pace for the Owls.
William Woods also dominates the rebounding battle, boasting an average of 45.2 caroms per game to a pace of just 35.2 for Harris-Stowe. Both teams are in positive territory on the rebounding margins, with the Owls grabbing 7.7 more boards per game to a surplus of 1.7 for the Hornets.
The Owls protect the ball slightly better, averaging just 16.5 turnovers per game to a 18.8 pace for HSSU, and the teams are nearly even in steals per game, with WWU holding a slim (8.5-8.3) margin.
Last Time Out
The Owls lit up the shot chart in the second half of Thursday's AMC opener, hitting at a .633 pace to pull away for an 88-67 win over league newcomers Benedictine University at Springfield.
Priscila Santos led four players in double figures for William Woods, scoring 20 points on the night. The Owls only trailed once in the ball game, reeling off an 11-1 run after surrendering the opening bucket to lead 11-3 with 16:37 to play in the first half.
WWU stretched a 39-30 halftime lead into a 20-point margin over the first seven minutes and never allowed BU-S closer than 17 down the stretch.
Stephanie Copelin (12),
Destani Stensrud (10) and
Julia Wells (10) rounded out the quartet of double-digit scorers for the Owls on the night.
Balanced Attack
While the Owls have managed 67.6 pts/gm on the year, there hasn't been a single player to key on to ensure success.
Priscila Santos recently boosted her average to 12.8 pts/gm and has edged clear of the field, but
Stephanie Copelin (9.4),
Ashlee Taylor (9.0),
Olivia Storjohann (8.2) and
Katie Scherder (8.2) are all within a basket of the 10-point plateau.
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 .706 pace through 11 games, the 19th-best pace in the nation. Individually,
Priscila Santos is ranked 39th with an accuracy rate of .765.
After battling her way into the national rankings with a 11-for-13 performance from the line against College of the Ozarks,
Julia Wells has shown that she's a big threat at the line, knocking down seven free throws in eight tries against St. Gregory's. She currently sits 43rd on the list with a .763 pace.
Those performances, however, aren't even the best on the team, as
Ashlee Taylor boasts a .909 mark on 20-of-22 shooting. She is just shy of the 2.5 FTM plateau for national ranking, however, to claim her second-best spot in the country.
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 10 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 11.909 is 25th 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 20th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 55.7 pts/gm on the year. The Owls are 11th in field-goal defense, allowing foes to hit at just a .337 pace from the floor.
Stock In Windex?
Ranked first in the country in defensive rebounds per game at 31.727, the Owls have definitely cleaned the glass well this year. WWU holds a margin of 7.727 per game on the year (21st) and like its offensive output, the Owls have seen the workload spread across the roster.
Olivia Storjohann leads the team with 6.5 grabs per game, with
Stephanie Copelin also at the half-dozen mark at 6.0.
Priscila Santos (5.6) and
Katie Scherder (5.5) round out the quartet, and
Julia Wells is just shy of the mark with 4.9 rebounds per game.
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.
Is That Right?
Although the Owls' rebounding performance against AIB College of Business is certainly a contender for the best in WWU history, it's somewhat of a rarity as the Owls scored fewer points than they grabbed rebounds but still won the game. Although out of the ordinary, it's not the first time that it has happened - but likely the first with such a large rebounding total. During the 2004-05 season, Western Baptist (now Corban University) outrebounded the College of Idaho 42-38 in a 40-38 win.
Super Sub
Priscila Santos has been outstanding in a sixth-woman role this season, averaging 12.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Consistency Is The Key
Thursday's game marked the first time during the 2012-13 season that head coach
Dan Chapla changed his starting lineup.
Destani Stensrud stepped in for
Ashlee Taylor admirably though, with the Owls seeming to not miss a beat.
A Look At Harris-Stowe
The Hornets come into Saturday's game on a three-game slide, including a 71-62 loss to Lyon College on Thursday night, and have only mustered a 3-10 overall record on the campaign. With just six regular contributors on its roster, Harris-Stow has a focused offense, led by Shanique Buford. She averages a double-double on the year, with 17.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, while Kayla Fisher is just a point behind her with 16.5 per game. KeAris Vaughn is third on the team with 10.0 pts/gm.
As a result of the slim roster, the Hornets have a number of players ranked in the individual leader lists despite struggling on the year. Buford ranks fourth in the nation with 5.077 offensive rebounds per game, with her overall average haul of 11.154 good for eighth. She also ranks 20th in the nation in scoring, with Fisher ranked 29th. Alexis Minner ranks 12th among NAIA Division I players with 69 assists, with her per-game pace of 5.308 good for 14th.
Fisher is a deep threat for the Hornets, ranking fourth in the nation in 3FGM/gm with 3.154 and 34th in 3FG shooting percentage, hitting at a .390 pace. As a team, the Hornets are 36th in the country with a .315 pace from deep.
Community Night
As part of its commitment to the Fulton community, William Woods Athletics is offering free admission to Saturday's game.
Broadcast Note
Due to scheduling conflicts, there will be no audio commentary for Saturday's game.
