HENDERSON, Tenn. -- The William Woods University women's basketball team looks to close out the 2013-14 regular season on a high-note, as they take on No. 2-ranked Freed-Hardeman University for a Saturday afternoon American Midwest Conference matchup. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
William Woods (21-8, 14-7 AMC) will look to extend its season-high five-game winning streak on Saturday, as they look to avenge a 37-point home loss to No. 2 Freed-Hardeman (28-1, 20-1 AMC) back on Jan. 25.
In that game, the Owls struggled from the floor in the first half, as they hit just 18.2 percent in the frame. That, accompanied with a pair of extended runs by the Lady Lions, gave FHU a 31-point lead at the break. WWU could not recovery in the second half, as they suffered one of their biggest home defeats under Head Coach Dan Chapla.
The Lady Lions were led by Grace de Alonso on that day, as she recorded a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. The Spain native recorded 21 of her career-high 25 points in the first half on the afternoon.Â
William Woods had three players in double-figures that day, led by Katie Scherder's 13-point performance, but it wasn't enough to overcome a hot Freed-Hardeman team that hit 47.8 percent in the victory.
The Owls will need a better defensive effort on Saturday if they want to upset the No. 2-ranked team in the NAIA on their home court. Over its five-game winning streak, William Woods has been holding its opposition to 50.8 points per game. In fact, over the last four contests, WWU has held its opponents to under 50 points.
In their last game, the Owls used another solid defensive performance to help to a 65-49 victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University. WWU held the Lady Trojans to just 17 first half points, and allowed them to hit only one three-point field goal on the night in the victory. Scherder's 15 points led the William Woods offense, as the victory allowed the team to secure the No. 4 seed in next week's AMC Tournament.
Freed-Hardeman collected a 72-49 win over Williams Baptist its last time out on Thursday night. The Lady Lions were led by de Alonso and Hayley Newby, as the duo picked up a double-double in the victory.
Newby and de Alonso are averaging a double-double on the year, as Newby is averaging a team-best 18.9 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game, and de Alonso is scoring 14.1 points per contest along with 10.7 caroms.
The Lady Lions are the top defensive team in the AMC, as they are allowing teams to score just 55.8 points per game.
Conversely, they are the second-highest scoring team in the conference by posting an averaging of 80.8 points every time out. William Woods will have to rely on its defense in this game, as they are allowing 61.2 points per contest this season. If they are able to contain the FHU offense, then they may be able to pull the upset, as they are allowing 72.5 points per game.
Freed-Hardeman leads the all-time series 1-0, as they Lady Lions were able to take the first game in this series, 94-57, in Anderson Arena back on Jan. 25.
Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every game during the 2013-14 season.
