PARKVILLE, Mo.- The William Woods University women's basketball team had four players reach double-figures on Saturday afternoon, as the team defeated Park University 61-56.
 
In a turnover frenzy between both teams, a game that saw a combine of 47 in the match-up, the Owls (10-5; 6-4 AMC) gained control down the stretch to capture its sixth AMC win and end the week winning 2-of-3 of its conference schedule.
 
At the 15:30 mark, the Owls would jump out to a 10-6 lead, after a field goal from Blake French from the wing as the shot clock buzzer was sounding.
 
WWU would continue to add to its advantage after a two pointer from Kennedy Volkart, forcing the Pirates to call a timeout, as the Owls soar to a 8-0 run with 12:40 left in the first frame.
 
With 1:19 left until half time Paige Stewart would hit a field goal inside the paint, pushing the Owls to its largest lead of the half and extending it to the first double-digit advantage in the match-up. After two free throws from WWU, the team would close the first 20:00 minutes of play with a nine point lead, 32-23.
 
In the first half, the Owls didn't shoot the hottest, just making 32 percent of their shots but were able to score 12 points off the Pirates 15 turnovers, which could arguably been the difference in the half.
 
William Woods also had a boost of energy offensively off the bench, as the Owls bench outscored the Pirates 14-9.
 
Kennedy Volkart paced the first half for the Owls, going 3-of-6 from the field and netting nine points.
 
Coming out of the half, the Pirates defense put a little pressure on the Owls, as WWU committed 17 turnovers just in the second half, which was in reverse of the first half.
 
Both teams came out of the locker room cold, while each team only made two field goals in the first seven minutes of play in the final frame. However, the Owls offense would get going as, Marissa Webb beat a Pirate off of the block on a free throw, to collect an offensive rebound and get the easy put back for two points.
 
At the 12:16 mark, Katranne Lane would drive down the lane and kick out to French, who sank a three-pointer from the baseline corner, making the score 44-34 in favor to WWU. Then the next Owls possession, Webb nailed a three-pointer, giving the Owls a 13 points lead, which was the largest lead of the game.
 
Despite William Woods offensive surge, the Pirates tried to cut the Owls lead down by going on a 5-0 run with 8:02 left to play.  Shortly after, Park's Lauren LaBonde made a two-pointer, cutting WWU advantage down to single digits, 56-45.
 
Park would then put full court pressure on the Owls and after a few turnovers, the Pirates had clawed their way back, getting within four points of WWU, making the score 58-54.
 
That would be the closest the Pirates would get, with less than 3:00 minutes left in regulation, Park committed two offensive fouls in back-to-back possessions, giving the Owls the ball back and a chance to seal the game.
 
Down the stretch, William Woods held onto to ball and sank a few huge free throws to go on and secure the five point victory, escaping the Pirates 61-56.
 
In an off-shooting day, the Owls still found a way and closed the game shooting 34 percent from the field, led by Volkart, who ended the game with 15 points, making 50 percent of her shots, while going 3-of-5 from the charity stripe.
 
Webb, was second in scoring, recording her first double-double performance of the season with 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
William Woods leading scorer, Nia Lateju and French, were the other two Owls to finish in double figures with 10 points apiece.
 
The Owls return to action next Thursday, as the team sets to compete against AMC rival, Columbia College for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
Fans check back on wwuowls.com next week for a full preview of this AMC showdown.

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