Box Score
FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University women's basketball team did not hit a field goal over the game's first 8:30, but were able to overcome the slow start, as they extend their winning streak to four games with a 72-46 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University on Thursday night at Anderson Arena.
William Woods (13-5; 6-4 AMC) started the game 0-for-9 from the floor, but they were able to withstand the rigorous start by hitting 8-of-9 from the free throw line, as they were able to tie the game with their first field goal, as Dennisha Rice converted an old-fashion three-point play to make it 11-11.
From that point, it was all William Woods, as they hit a blistering 55 percent from the floor for the remainder of the game, and held Hannibal-LaGrange (4-13; 4-5 AMC) scoreless for a stretch of 9:32 that spanned two halves, and turned a tied contest into a comfortable 22-point lead for the Owls.
"We were looking for too many jump shots during the games first five minutes," said Head Coach Dan Chapla. "We were stagnant a bit, and settling for jump shots. We called a timeout to talk to our girls about driving the ball and getting it inside. Dennisha came in around that point, and really provided a spark for us. Our team was more active with her out there, and she was taking the ball to the hoop and really setting the tone for us."
For the second straight game, WWU has held an opponent under 50 points, as the Lady Trojans matched the 46-point total that Stephens College collected against William Woods last Saturday. It is the first time this season that the Owls have held their opponents to fewer than 50 points in back-to-back games.
"We did a great job defensively tonight," expressed Chapla. "We held them to 29 percent from the floor and I'm very proud of that. We are used to these type of defensive performances here. It's been a key to our success over the last five years. We defended well off the dribble, rotated well with help side, and just played hard all night long. We have to continue to play with this kind of defensive effort if we want any chance at all of going to the National Tournament."
WWU also forced Hannibal-LaGrange to 20 turnovers on the night, and scored 24 point off Lady Trojan miscues.
Offensively, Chapla's squad shared the basketball well and used a total team effort in the win, as they had 10 players score on 14 assists. Thursday marked the third time in the last four games that at least 10 players were in the scoring column for William Woods.
Andraquay Quinnine and Kennedy Volkart led the way for WWU, as they each recorded 12 points. For Volkart, it was the fifth time in her last six games posting double-digits, while Quinnine has now reached the double-figure plateau in each of the last three games.
William Woods started extremely slow in the first half, as they didn't make a shot from the floor during the game's first eight and half minutes. However, a strong free throw shooting performance helped the Owls overcome the 0-for-9 start from the field, as they hit eight of their first nine free throw attempts during the stretch, and trailed by just two at 11-9 with nearly 12 minutes left in the half.
Rice gave WWU its first field goal of the half at the 11:30 mark, as her old fashion three-point play tied the contest at 11-11.
Kennedy Volkart's jumper capped off a 9-2 Owls run, and gave them their first lead of the game at 15-13.
Hannibal-LaGrange's Shelby Cline hit a jumper to tie the game back up at 18-18 with 7:27 left in the frame. From that point, William Woods would hold the Lady Trojans scoreless for the remainder of the half, as they used a 16-0 run to build a 34-18 lead going into the half.
William Woods scored six straight points to open the second half before Hannibal-LaGrange's scoreless streak ended with a Kelsie Smith jumper at the 17:55 mark. The Lady Trojans went scoreless for 9:32, as they saw a tie game turn into a 22-point deficit.
The Owls continued to pour it on HLGU, by using a 16-2 run to build a 30-point lead with nearly 13 minutes remaining in the half.
The Lady Trojans were able to cut its deficit to 25 points, but WWU was able to maintain that margin for the remainder of the frame before taking the 26-point win, 72-46.
It will be a quick break for William Woods, as they return to action on Saturday night to host No. 2 Freed-Hardeman. It will be the second time this season the Owls have faced a Top 25 opponent at home, and Coach Chapla is hoping his team is ready for the tough task ahead.
"I think that we have to play with no fear on Saturday. We have nothing to lose, at all. They come in here as one of two undefeated teams in the nation, and I think it will be hard for them to stay unbeaten all year, but they are very talented. We are capable of knocking them off, but our girls have to believe that they can, and execute well for 40 minutes, and even then that may not be enough to knock them off because they are that good of a team."
Saturday will be a busy day at Anderson Arena, as WWU will be adding three new members to its Athletic Hall of Fame at half time of the women's contest, and will also be participating in the Suits and Sneakers Cancer Awareness Weekend. Tip-off for this crucial American Midwest Conference affair is set for 2 p.m.
Check back with wwuowls.com for full preview and recap of this and every game during the 2013-14 season.
