POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- The No. 19 William Woods University women's basketball team concludes a tough two-game road trip, as they travel to NAIA Division II College of the Ozarks for a Saturday night contest. Tip-off for this game is set for 6 p.m.
William Woods (4-0) is coming off a hard-fought come-from-behind 82-75 win at Lindenwood University-Belleville on Tuesday night. The Owls were able to erase an eight-point deficit midway through the second half, as they closed the game on a 15-8 run to get the victory.
Katie Scherder posted a season-high 19 points in the win, as WWU was able to convert on 5-of-8 form the free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
College of the Ozarks (6-3), who is ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Women's Coaches Preseason Division II Top 25 Poll, is coming off an 88-80 loss at Missouri Valley College. The Lady Bobcats got a 20-point performance form Brady Uchtman. It was the third loss in five games for C of O after starting the year 4-0.
"We have a tough chore in front of us as we face one of the great programs from the Division II level," said Head Coach Dan Chapla. "This will be the fourth year in a row that we have played them, and we've had some good games against them in the past. Our team is playing with a lot of confidence right now, so we are hoping to go down there and come out with a win."
Scherder has been the vocal point of the Owls offense over the last two games, as the senior guard has posted back-to-back 19-point performances against a pair of quality opponents in NCAA Division I Western Illinois and NAIA Division I Lindenwood-Belleville.
"Katie is doing what she has to for us," Chapla said of his senior. "She has been the most consistent player for us this year, which is what we needed from her going into this season. She is so versatile and does so many things good for us, yet for us to get to where we want to be we need other players to step up."
An area that has provided a spark for the Owls this season is its post play. Through four games, senior forward Stephanie Copelin is averaging 11.8 points and 4.8 caroms per contest. The O'Fallon, Ill., native has been exceptional of late, as she has collected a pair of 15-point scoring efforts in two of her last three games.
"I'm really proud of Steph. When she first got here she didn't see a lot of playing time, but each year she got better and better and now entering her final year for us we are seeing all the benefits of her hard work."
The Owls have been able to score the ball at a much higher rate this season, as they are averaging 77 points per contest on 42.8 percent shooting. The high offensive numbers haven't hurt WWU's normally strong defensive stas, as they are holding teams to 57.8 points per game on 35 percent from the floor.
College of the Ozarks started the year 4-0, but recently have hit a snag, as they have dropped three of its last five games. Most recently, the Lady Bobcats dropped an 88-80 contest at Missouri Valley College, a team that William Woods defeated on its opening-night.
Like the Owls, Ozarks is getting a lot of production on offense, as they average 78.8 points per game, and have four players averaging double-figures, led by Emily Walker's 16.1 points per contest.
It will be the second straight game that WWU has faced a high octane offense, yet Coach Chapla sees a lot of differences between the two squads.
"I don't think that Ozarks penetrates towards the basket the way Belleville does. They have more structure in terms of motion, they are ball screening a little more than they have in years past. They put four kids on the floor that can shoot the three-ball a little bit, and are exceptional at getting the to the free throw line, which is something we have to avoid on Saturday."
William Woods defeated College of the Ozarks 72-64 in Fulton last year. Katie Scherder and Julia Wells each had a 13-point performance against the Lady Bobcats.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every game during the 2013-14 season.
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