FULTON, Mo. --The no.23-ranked William Woods University women's basketball  team returns to Anderson Arena after splitting a two-game Arkansas road trip as they host Park University.  Thursday is the annual Courtwarming game at William Woods. Tip-off for this American Midwest Conference showdown, presented by Atkins Inc., is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The Matchup
The Owls come into Thursday's contest in third place in the AMC at 11-3. William Woods is having another successful season under head coach Dan Chapla, as his Owls are 20-4 on the season.

WWU completed a season-season sweep of Williams Baptist on Tuesday night with a 61-56 victory. Priscila Santos collected 21 points in the victory. Over the last five games the Brazilian native has averaged 22.6 points per contest.

Park University suffered a 63-53 loss to Harris-Stowe on Saturday, giving the Pirates their fifth consecutive loss. The losing streak has dropped Park to 7-16 on the year and 4-10 in AMC play.

William Woods will be looking to complete the season sweep of Park as they were victorious on Jan. 17 in Parkville, Mo., 59-46. Santos paced the Owls that night with 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting. The junior guard also collected eight rebounds in the win.

Busy Stretch
Thursday marks the sixth game in a 15 day stretch for WWU. The Owls will play seven games spanning from February 3 to February 16. William Woods is currently 4-1 in the stretch with wins over Harris-Stowe, Benedictine University at Springfield, Hannibal-LaGrange and Williams Baptist.

The Anderson Advantage
Since the 2008-09 season, Anderson Arena has been a tough place for teams to come in and win. In that timeframe the Owls are 61-12 at home, good for a .835 winning percentage. In AMC play the Owls have been better, posting a 40-5 mark for a .889 winning percentage.

20-Win Seasons
On Tuesday William Woods collected its 20th win of the season. It marks the fifth straight season that the Owls have collected at least 20-wins on the year.

AMC Leaders
William Woods leads the AMC in three statistical categories. They are the top team in scoring defense by allowing 56.83 points per game, assist/turnover ratio at .087 and are in a three-way tie in free throw percentage at 71.3 percent with Columbia College and Stephens College.

Blake French is the only Owl to lead in a statistical category. The sophomore guard has the top assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 1.61. The ratio is the 41st-highest in the NAIA.

On A Role
Junior Priscila Santos has been on quite a roll of late. The 5-11 forward has collected at least 20 points in her last five contest.

During the stretch the Brazilian native has averaged 22.6 points per game, increasing her season average from 13.0 to 15.1 points per game.

Confidence Builder
Junior Stephanie Copelin broke out of a recent funk as she scored 13 points in Tuesday's win over Williams Baptist. It marked the first time in nine games that the 5-11 forward posted double-digits in the scoring column.

Taking Advantage Of Charity
Through 24 games the Owls are hitting .713 of the time at the line, the 14th-best pace in the nation and the second-highest mark in the AMC.

Destani Stensrud's 81.8 percent from the charity stripe leads the Owls.

Hard-Nosed Defense
William Woods is currently ranked 19th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 56.8 points per game, tops in the AMC. The Owls are also 14th in defensive field goal percentage by allowing foes to hit at just 35.2 percent from the floor.

Balanced Attack
While the Owls have managed 68.0 points per game on the year, there hasn't been a single player to key on to ensure success. Priscila Santos is the only Owl to average double figures with 15.1 points per game, but Olivia Storjohann (9.2), Katie Scherder (8.0, Stephanie Copelin (7.5), Destani Stensrud (7.1) and Ashlee Taylor (7.1) 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, they have been held to just one double-digit scorer twice on the year.

Winning Big
William Woods has posted good-sized margins in each of its 20 wins on the year as they rank 27th in the nation in scoring margin at 11.12. The Owls have won by two possessions or more in each contest. The 37-point victory over Hannibal-LaGrange on Jan. 10 marked the largest margin of victory on the year.

Hitting The Glass
Ranked seventh in the country in defensive rebounds per game at 29.66, the Owls have definitely cleaned the glass well this year. WWU holds a margin of 5.25 per game on the year (26th nationally) and like its offensive output; the Owls have seen the workload spread across the roster. Priscila Santos leads the team with her 6.7 rebounds per game. Katie Scherder is just behind Santos with her 6.0 caroms per game pace and Olivia Storjohann comes in third with 5.6 boards per game.

On Dec. 30, Scherder collected 16 caroms against AIB. The mark is tied for the fourth-highest single game mark in the AMC.

A Look At Park University
The Pirates come into Thursday's contest with a 4-10 record, good enough for eighth place in the conference. Park hasn't fared much better in the regular season as they have collected only seven wins to 16 losses.  The Pirates are currently riding a five-game losing streak.

The struggles have not affected Brianna Beridon, who leads the conference in scoring with her 18.2 points per game average. The senior guard has posted double-figures in all but three games this season, including scoring a career-high 34 points against Stephens College on Jan. 24. The Owls held Beridon to just 11 points in their Jan. 17 matchup.

Despite Beridon's average, Park has had a difficult time scoring this season as they average only 54.0 points per game on 35.6 percent from the floor. Defensively, the Pirates give up 60.6 points per game and allow teams to shoot 39.6 percent against them.

Rebound is another weakness for the Parkville school as they surrender 38.8 caroms per contest and only grab 33.2 rebounds per game.

Voice Of The Owls
Returning to the broadcast booth this season is the duo of Darren Munns and Craig “Boomer” McAndrews. In addition to their coaching duties for WWU Baseball, Munns and McAndrews serve as the primary broadcast tandem for the Owls webcast.

Get Social With The Owls
In addition to the traditional outlets, fans can keep up with the latest news about William Woods Athletics via our social media channels.  Checkout our Facebook page (Facebook.com/WWUOwls) and twitter feed (@WWU_Owls).

Corporate Partners
Tonight's game is sponsored by Atkins Inc. Throughout the 2012-13 season, William Woods will take many opportunities to thank our corporate partners for their support both on and off the field for our student-athletes. Thanks to Atkins Inc., Central Dairy, Coldwell Banker Niedergerke & Co., Columbia Orthopedic Group, Cost Cutter of Mid-Mo, Jack's Gourmet Restaurant, Holiday Inn Express, Joe Machens Dealerships, Mid-City Lumber, Mo-X, PEAK
Performance, Red Weir Athletic Supplies, State Farm/Don Woodson and White Dog Promotions.

For more information on the WWU Corporate Partner programs, contact the William Woods Athletic Department at 573.592.1624.