Box Score
FULTON, Mo. -- The No. 25-ranked William Woods University women's basketball team had four players record double-digits as they pulled away late from a pesky Harris-Stowe State University team to pick up an 81-59 win at Anderson Arena on Thursday night.

The Owls (8-2; 1-1 AMC) picked up its first American Midwest Conference win of the year, but it was a hard-fought win as WWU held a 60-55 lead with 6:10 to play over a Harris-Stowe (2-9; 0-3 AMC) team that used just five players on the night. But they were able to close the game on a 21-4 run to seal the 81-59 victory.

"It's good to be 1-1 in conference play," said Head Coach Dan Chapla. "Harris-Stowe did a really good job on us and they played an effective zone all night. We didn't play the greatest but we got the win, and we'll take that."

William Woods had four of its starters in double-figures on the night, as Blake French and Andraquay Quinnine each scored 15, while Katie Scherder returned to double-digits for the first time in three games with 12 points, and Stephanie Copelin rounded out the group with 11.

The Owls recorded a season-high 20 assists on the night, as point guard Destani Stensrud handed out a game-high seven assists. The Exeter, Mo., native has now handed out 16 assists over her last two games.

"I'm extremely proud of the way we shared the basketball tonight. We had great ball movement, and maybe at times passed a little too much, but we were finding the opening person which allowed us to get some good looks," said Chapla.

WWU , who came into the game second in the NAIA in free throw percentage, had another strong night at the line as they went 8-of-10 from the charity stripe.

"We practice a lot on our free throw shooting and getting to the line," said Chapla. "We haven't got there as much as I would like too the last couple of games, and that's because teams are zoning us, but we have to continue to find ways to get to the line."

Alexis Minner and Shanique Buford each recorded a 20-point performance for Harris-Stowe, as Minner tallied a game-high 24 points and Buford collected a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds.

"Buford has a handful for our team tonight," Chapla said of the 2012-13 All-AMC player. "She was tough to guard for our post, and she is one of the top rebounders not only in the conference, but in the country, and tonight she showed everyone why."

William Woods jumped out to an early 8-2 lead, but the Lady Hornets battled back to take its first lead of the game at 12-11 at the 14:24 mark. The Owls would go on a 9-0 run late in the first frame to break a 22-all tie to take a 31-22 lead with 6:28 left in the game.

WWU maintained a nine-point lead for the remainder of the half, as they took a 39-30 lead into the locker room.

Chapla's club scored the first six points of the second half to extend its lead to 15 at 45-30, and the Owls kept its lead in double-digits until the 10-minute mark when the Lady Hornets pulled with in nine at 56-47. Harris-Stowe was able to cut the lead to all the way down to four points with 9:31 left in the game after a three-point basket.

Both teams would trade baskets until William Woods went on a 21-4 run over the game's final six minutes to pick up the 81-59 win.

The Owls will be back in action on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Park University for their first AMC road contest of the year. Tip-off for the game is set for 2 p.m.

Check back with wwuowls.com for a full preview and recap of this and every game during the 2013-14 season.