FULTON, Mo. -- A pair of extended first half runs by No. 2-ranked Freed-Hardeman University sealed the fate of the William Woods University women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as they fell 94-57 in American Midwest Conference action at Anderson Arena.

The Owls (13-6; 6-5 AMC) held a brief 4-3 lead in the first half, but Freed-Hardeman (19-0; 11-0 AMC) used a 24-4 run to turn its deficit into a 20-point advantage. The Lady Lions did not stop there, as they pushed its lead to 31 points at the break. The Lady Lions eventually took a game-high 43-point lead in the second half, before settling for the 37-point victory.  

"They (Freed-Hardeman) might be the best team that's ever played on this court during my tenure here," said Head Coach Dan Chapla. "I see what we are up against now in our conference. We knew they were going to be really good, and our hats are off to them today."

William Woods struggled to get its offense going to the first frame, as they hit just 18.5 percent (6-of-33) from the floor in the first half. WWU began to click in the second half, as they hit an even 50 percent of its shots (12-of-24), but it wouldn't be enough to erase the 30-point halftime deficit.

"They are a very talented defensive team, and they do everything they can to throw you on offense," Chapla said of his first half woes. "You have to beat them by attacking the rim and getting to the free throw line, and I thought we did that during the first six minutes but we struggled to finish around the rim. They are a little bit bigger and stronger than we are, and that was a big difference today."

Katie Scherder led a trio of WWU players in double-figures with 13 points. It was the first time in two games that the senior has posted a double-digit game. Julia Wells came off the bench to contribute 11 points, and Destani Stensurd rounded out the group with 10 points.

Grace Alonso de Armino led all scorers with a game-high 25 points. The 6-1 junior collected 23 of her career-high 25 points in the first frame, and was one of two Lady Lions to pick up a double-double, as she picked up 10 rebounds.

WWU held a brief 4-3 lead in the opening minutes of the game, but Freed-Hardeman used a 15-0 run, as they kept the Owls scoreless over six minutes to jump out to an 18-4 lead.

Blake French's layup ended the drought at the 11:09 mark, but then FHU would go on another extended run, this time going a 9-0 outing, to build a 20-point advantage.

The Lady Lions pushed its lead to 31 points, as Alonso de Armino hit a jumper at the buzzer to give her team the 51-20 halftime lead.

Freed-Hardeman maintained its 30-point advantage for the entire second half, and extended its lead to a game-high 43 points late in the frame before taking the 94-57 win.

With the loss, the Owls will drop to 1-2 against the NAIA Division I Top 25 this year, as they previously dropped a contest to No. 15 Columbia College and defeated No. 22 University of the Cumberlands.

William Woods will get its second chance at Columbia College on Jan 30., as they travel 20 miles down I-70 to take on the Cougars.

"We knew today was going to be a tough challenge, but we have to learn from it and move on," said Chapla of his next opponent. "We go down the road now and face a tough Columbia College team. Freed-Hardeman is extremely good, they are No. 2 in the nation for a reason, and Columbia is another Top 25 team and it will be a tough road challenge for us."

Tip-off from Columbia College is set for 5:30 p.m.

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

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