FULTON, Mo. -- The no.23-ranked William Woods University women's basketball team will be back in action Tuesday night in Anderson Arena as they host American Midwest Conference foe Benedictine University at Springfield. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
The Matchup
The Owls come into Tuesday's contest in third place in the AMC at 8-2. William Woods is having another successful season under head coach
Dan Chapla as his Owls stand at 17-3 overall on the year.
Benedictine University at Springfield is in its inaugural season of play and is still looking for its first ever AMC win as the Bulldogs are 0-10 in the conference. BenU Springfield has not fared better in the non-conference portion of its schedule as they are just 3-17 overall on the year.
William Woods will be looking to complete the season sweep of Benedictine University at Springfield as they were victorious on Jan. 3 in Springfield, Ill. 88-67.
Priscila Santos led the WWU charge in the first game with her 20-point performance.
Last Time Out
The William Woods University women's basketball team returned to the win column as they defeated Harris-Stowe 68-62 in St. Louis on Saturday afternoon.
Priscila Santos paced the Owls with 20 points.
Katie Scherder collected 15 points and
Olivia Storjohann was a rebound short of a double-double by chipping in 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
Let's Try This Again...
Tuesday's game is a makeup game from its originally scheduled date of Jan. 31.
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 59-12 at home, good for a .831 winning percentage. In AMC play the Owls have been better, posting a 38-5 mark for a .884 winning percentage.
AMC Leaders
William Woods leads the AMC in five statistical categories. They are the top team in scoring defense by allowing 56.50 points per game, defensive field goal percentage holding teams to a .348 mark, assists per game by handing out 13.95 dimes, free throw percentage by hitting .715 of their attempts, and assist/turnover ratio at .088.
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 1.57.
Super Sub
Junior
Priscila Santos leads the Owls in points per game (13.8) and rebounds per game (6.4) despite not making a single start this year.
The Brazilian guard is averaging 20.6 minutes per game and is shooting .464 from the floor. She has scored in double-digits in nine of her last 11 games.
Opportunity Seized
An injury to senior
Ashlee Taylor elevated
Destani Stensrud into a starting role and she made the most of her opportunity. The sophomore guard has averaged 8.7 points per game, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game since starting.
Taking Advantage Of Charity
Through 20 games the Owls are hitting .715 of the time at the line, the 16th-best pace in the nation and the top mark in the AMC.
Julia Wells' .750 success rate at the line marks the 45th-best pace in the NAIA.
Hard-Nosed Defense
William Woods is currently ranked 19th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 56.5 points per game. The Owls are also 10th in defensive field-goal percentage by allowing foes to hit at just .348 from the floor. Both marks are the highest total in the AMC.
Balanced Attack
While the Owls have managed 67.3 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 13.8 points per game, but
Olivia Storjohann (9.0),
Katie Scherder (8.9),
Stephanie Copelin (7.8) and
Ashlee Taylor (7.6) 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 17 wins on the year as they rank 28th in the nation in scoring margin at 10.80. 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 29.85, the Owls have definitely cleaned the glass well this year. WWU holds a margin of 5.75 per game on the year (24th) and like its offensive output; the Owls have seen the workload spread across the roster.
Priscila Santos are tied for leads the team with her 6.4 rebounds per game.
Katie Scherder is just behind Santos with her 6.2 caroms per game pace.
Olivia Storjohann comes in third with 5.7 boards per game and
Stephanie Copelin is in fourth on the team with 4.8 boards per contest.
A Look At Benedictine University at Springfield
The Bulldogs are in their inaugural season and are still searching for their first ever AMC win. BenU Springfield is currently in last place in the conference with a 0-10 mark. Overall on the season, Benedictine University at Springfield has collected three wins to 17 losses.
BenU Springfield averages 54.0 points per game on .316 shooting from the floor. Defensively the Bulldogs have struggled as they are giving up 73.4 points per contest and allow the opposition to shoot .420 from the floor.
Brittany Rush is the only double-digit scorer for the Bulldogs. The junior forward has tallied double-figures in eight of her last 10 games. She scored a season high 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting in the first matchup against William Woods on Jan. 3.
Rebounding has been a troublesome issue for Benedictine University at Springfield as they are being outrebounding by a margin of 9.3 (37.3-47.0). Rush also leads the team in rebounding collected 7.7 caroms per game. The Chicago native collected her second double-double of the year her last time out against Hannibal-LaGrange as she scored 12 points and pulled down 13 boards.
Benedictine University at Springfield has been prone to the turnover this season. In 20 games they have averaged 19.7 cough ups 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 State Farm. 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.
