FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University women's basketball team looks to snap a two-game skid on Saturday afternoon, as they return to Anderson Arena to entertain Williams Baptist College for a crucial American Midwest Conference contest. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
It has been a tough week for William Woods (13-7; 6-6 AMC), as they have suffered a pair of 30-point defeats to the likes of No. 2 Freed-Hardeman and No. 15 Columbia College. It was a similar story for the Owls in both contests, as they were unable to get into any offensive flow in the first half and allowed each team to go on an elongated run to take a decisive advantage.
During the two-game losing streak, William Woods has managed to hit just 27 percent of its shots. The numbers are even more staggering in the first half, as they managed to hit 13-of-69 shots for an 18.8 shooting percentage. Â
"We need someone to make some shots and help get some of our confidence back," said Head Coach Dan Chapla. "We turned it only over four times in the first half against Columbia, we got a lot of really good open looks, but they just were not falling. Right now, we're struggling from an offensive standpoint and I think some of that has to do with the two teams we just got done playing, but we have to get someone going for us here soon."
Things will not ease up for WWU on Saturday afternoon, as they face a Williams Baptist (10-8; 6-6 AMC) team that is the top defensive team in the AMC. The Lady Eagles are allowing their opposition to shoot just 33.7 percent from the floor, a mark that is the second-best in the NAIA. In fact, WBC held William Woods to a 29.5 shooting percentage in their Jan. 7 meeting, yet the Owls were able to outperform the Lady Eagles on the defensive side of the court by holding them to 26.2 percent and collected the 56-42 road win.
"We shot 29 percent and won, and I think that's the first time since I've been coaching that I've had a team win when putting up that low of a shooting percentage," he said. "It doesn't bode well for us, with the struggles we've had here recently. But, we have to get some easy buckets in transition to maybe get some confidence back. We were able to do that against Williams Baptist down there, and hopefully we can have a similar result on Saturday."
There has been one bright spot for WWU over the last two games, and that is the play of junior point guard Destani Stensrud. The Exeter, Mo., native is averaging a team-best 11.5 points during the stretch, and put up a team-high 13 points against No. 15 Columbia College in her last time out.
"She is an athletic kid that can create her own shot," Chapla said of his point guard. "She has been really driving the ball well and getting to the free throw line, and she has been good from the line all year and we will need her to continue doing that."
Senior guard Katie Scherder has also performed will against the pair of nationally ranked teams, as she posted an average of 11 points this past week against the No. 2 and No. 15 teams in the nation.
2012-13 First-Team All-AMC selection Cheyenne Childers is the focal point for the Williams Baptist offense, as she is averaging a team-best 16.7 points through 18 contest. The 5-11 forward has scored double-figures in each of her last eight games, and has tallied a pair of 30-points performances to give her an average of 22.6 points per game over the stretch.
William Woods has been able to contain the potent Childers throughout her career, as she is averaging just seven points against the Owls in eight career contests. In the Jan. 7 matchup, the senior was able to score just six points on 3-of-9 shooting.
Saturday could be a crucial game in terms of AMC Tournament seeding, as both teams are tied for fifth place in the league, with William Woods currently holding the tiebreaker with its head-to-head victory over the Lady Eagles.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every game during the 2013-14 season.
