Katie Scherder Head Shot '13

Women's Basketball

No. 25 Owls Return To Action This Weekend In The Cougars vs. Cancer Classic

Scherder leads the team in both scoring and rebounding.
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The No. 25-ranked William Woods University women's basketball team returns to action this weekend, as they will play a pair of games in the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic at Columbia College. The Owls kick-off the weekend with a Saturday afternoon affair against No. 20 University of the Cumberlands, and will conclude with a game against the University of Saint Mary on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off time for both games is set for 2 p.m.

William Woods (5-2) will compete in its first regular season contest since a Dec. 5 loss to No. 21 Columbia College, and its first contest since Dec. 16 when they suffered an 80-57 exhibition set back against NCAA D-II Missouri Southern State University.

Senior guard Katie Scherder tallied 17 points in the exhibition loss. It was the seventh double-figure performance for the Bowling Green, Mo., native this season, as she leads the Owls in scoring with her 12.6 points per game average.

Scherder is also the team leader in rebounds per game with 6.8 caroms per game. In the Dec. 5 loss to Columbia College, the 5-11 guard tallied her first double-double of the year with a 12-point, 10-rebound performance.

As a team, the Owls been of a higher scoring squads than last season, as they are averaging 71.3 points per game on an even 40 percent from the field. A big reason for the bump in scoring are seniors Stephanie Copelin and Andraquay Quinnine.

Copelin, who is in her fourth year for the Owls, is averaging a career-best 11.4 points through the first seven games. The 5-10 forward has posted double-digits in the scoring column in five of her last six games, including a pair of 15-point performances against Evangel University and Lindenwood-Belleville. Quinnine is in her first season with WWU after transferring from Xavier University of Louisiana, and has made quite the impact. So far on the season, the guard is averaging 12 points per game, and has hit a team-high 16 three-point baskets.

Even though William Woods is scoring more, it hasn't hurt its usually tough defensive numbers. The Owls are holding teams 62.6 points per game on 38.4 percent from the floor, and are forcing 18.7 turnovers per game.

Saturday's game will mark the second consecutive contest against an NAIA Division I Top 25 program in the University of the Cumberlands. The Patriots (5-3) came in at No. 20 in the most recent poll, moving up one spot from its preseason ranking. Cumberlands comes into Saturday's contest on a four-game winning streak, which started with a 78-54 win over American Midwest Conference member Columbia College.

Much like the Owls, UC features a trio of double-digit scores, with Jackie Alexander leading the way with her 12.3 points per game average. The Mt. Sterling, Ky., native has tallied double-figures in each of her last four games, and scored a season-high 23 points against Columbia back on Nov. 30.

As a team, the Patriots are averaging 74.4 points per contest on 42 percent from the field, and are extremely poised on the defensive end, as they allow just under 60 points a contest at 59.1.

The University of the Cumberlands is a strong rebounding team, as they are out-rebounding teams 38.4-31.4, thanks in large part to an average of 14.1 offensive caroms per game. Lydia Cuff leads the team in rebounding with 6.4 grabs per contest. The 6-2 forward has posted a pair of double-figure rebounding games this season, as she grabbed 12 against Bethel University and 13 against St. Francis.

The Owls will conclude the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic with a Sunday afternoon affair against the University of Saint Mary. The Lady Spires (1-9) are limping into the Classic, as they are riding a nine-game losing streak, which started back on Nov. 15 with an 89-62 loss to Benedictine College. They will take on No. 21 Columbia College on Saturday before they face William Woods.

Ebonee Rhymes is the team's leading scoring, with her 19.2 points per game average, yet, she has not appeared in a game since Nov. 26 and her status for the contest is unknown at this time. As a team, USM averages just 63.4 points per game on 31.1 percent from the field, and are allowing teams to score an average of 82.7 points on 43.6 shooting from the floor.

Saint Mary has had a tough time keeping a hold of the ball this season, as they commit 19.7 turnovers per game. They have committed 20 or more turnovers five times this season, which includes a season-high 28 against Friends University on Dec. 12.

Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this weekend's events.
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