COLUMBIA, Mo. – The William Woods University women's basketball team wrapped up its play at the Columbia College Cougars vs. Cancer Classic with a strong outing against McPherson College, as the Owls defeated the Bulldogs 65-57, picking up its third consecutive win of the season.
The Owls (3-0), cruised to a perfect 2-0 on the season opening weekend, kicking off its 2015 season on a high note.
In the first quarter, which was played very tightly by both teams, saw the Owls jump out to an early 6-2 lead, after a put back from
Nia Lateju, but McPherson responded and would knot the game up at 7-7 with a three pointer from Bailey Brown.
At the 2:59 mark, freshman
Jess Schmidt made a move into the paint and pulled up to sink a two-pointer, regaining the 13-11 lead over the Bulldogs. With the first quarter coming to an end, McPherson College's Amanda Allen was able to sink a field goal right before the horn sounded, tying the game 15-15.
In the second quarter, the Owls came out on a 10-5 run, taking a 25-20 lead, after
Julia Wells went 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Then WWU was able to extend its lead out to nine at 32-23 at the 1:32 mark, after
Bailey Rollins found
Kennedy Volkart on the block for a two-point basket.
The Bulldogs were able to cut the Owls lead back down to just five right before halftime, but WWU was able to head into the locker room with the momentum and 32-27 lead.
William Woods shot a 32.1 percent from the floor in the first half, while hitting just 2-of-7 from behind the arc, but what was a big reason for the Owls success in the first 20:00 minutes of play was the WWU shooting 80.0 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line. Lateju led the way with 10 points and five rebounds,.
McPherson College meanwhile, was 11-for-28 (39.3 percent) from the floor, going 3-for-9 from the three-point line, while only getting to the charity stripe twice (2-for-2),
Coming out of half time, the Owls continued to control the game, maintaining a steady lead over the Bulldogs. However, McPherson College didn't stop battling, as the Bulldogs pulled within two points of WWU (34-32), after a Georgia Smart basket.
WWU would bounce back, and counter with a 9-1 run, to gain some distance from the Bulldogs with a 42-33 advantage. Although, McPherson College responded with a 8-2 run of their own, cutting the Owls lead down to 44-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter the Owls, would start to pull away, as a two point shot made by Kelsey Schreder , extended the teams' lead out to 53-23 with 5:10 left in regulation.
WWU extended its advantage out to its largest of the game, at 12 points (59-47), after a Schreder made free throw. McPherson would narrow the lead down to six at 63-57 but the Owls held on to its lead and went on to secure the 65-57 victory.
William Woods ended the day, shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and an astonishing 92.9 percent from the free throw, making the team 25-for-29 from the charity strip in the game. Leading the way for the Owls, was
Nia Lateju for the second straight game, as the senior posted 17 points and eight rebounds, going 7-of-13 from the floor. Scherder, also had an impressive outing, collecting 14 points on 50.0 percent shooting from the field, while
April Gebke chipped in 12 points.
At the conclusion of the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic, Lateju and Volkart were named to the All-Classic team. Joining them, included, Kei'yana Pearson (Columbia College), Julie Whitfill (Brescia University) and Bailey Brown (McPherson College).
The Owls will be back in action on November 14
th, as the team travels to Graceland University for a 4:00 p.m. tip-off.
Fans check back on wwuowls.com for a full preview of the team's next game.
