COLUMBIA, Mo.—The William Woods University women's basketball team closed out the Columbia College Cougars vs. Cancer Classic on a high note, as the Owls defeated Bethel College 70-58 on Saturday afternoon.
The Owls (2-1), shot 38.6 percent from the field against the Lady Threshers (1-1), while knocking down 76.9 percent (20-of-26) of its chances from the free throw line. Defensively, the team forced 23 turnovers and limited Bethel to just 33.9 percent shooting from the floor.
After totaling 16 points on Friday,
Nia Lateju set a new career-high for herself on Saturday, scoring a team-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds. Senior
Blake French went 5-of-11 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line for 15 points, while
Marissa Webb reached the double-digit plateau for the third straight game, having 13 points.
In the first half, William Woods jumped out to a 19-14 lead, after French hit a three-pointer off an assist from
Julia Wells at the 9:09 mark. WWU would continue to hold its lead until the 4:36 mark, when Lauren Ulrich hit a three-pointer of her own, giving the Lady Threshers a 27-25 advantage.
Bethel College was able to extend its lead out to seven at 32-25 at the 3:01 mark, after Ulrich struck again with another three-pointer. Ulrich was the lone player in double figures for the Lady Threshers, as she totaled a game-high 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting.
The Owls, however, were able to chip away at the lead and would be down by just one at 36-35, after Lateju went one-of-two from the free throw line with .56 seconds left.
Then, just like yesterday's game against University of the Cumberlands, the Owls headed to the locker room up by one point, as Lateju hit her two point shot, off an assist from French with just .02 seconds left, to give WWU a 37-36 lead.
The Owls shot 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from the field in the first half and were led by French, having 11 points. The Lady Threshers, meanwhile, shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the floor and were led by Ulrich, totaling 12 points.
The Owls started to pull away in the second half, as a two point shot made by Webb, extended the teams' lead out to 50-40 with 14:30 left on the clock.
WWU would extend its advantage out to its largest of the game, at 16 points (59-43), after Lateju went 2-of-3 from the free throw line, with 8:53 left. Bethel College would narrow the lead down to six, at 63-57, after Jessica Ebenkamp made both of her free throws with just under 3:00 minutes left, but that would be as close as they would get, with WWU closing out the game on a 7-1 run and going on for the 12-point victory.
William Woods will now return to the court on November 14
th in the Southwestern Classic in Winfield, Kansas and will take on Sterling College at 6 p.m. On November 15
th, the Owls will then take on host Southwestern College in the finale of the Classic.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com next week for a full preview of next weekend's action.
