FULTON, Mo.—The William Woods University women's basketball team will look to win its fourth game in a row on Saturday afternoon, as the Owls host NAIA Division II College of the Ozarks, who are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation. Tip-off starts at 2 p.m.
The Owls (8-2; 3-2 AMC), are coming off a 70-50 rout over Hannibal-LaGrange University on Thursday night. The team shot 37.9 percent from the floor and were led by
April Gebke's 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Nia Lateju and
Kennedy Volkart each contributed 12 points and combined for 14 boards, while Lateju also led the way with a career-high six steals.
Kelsey Scherder, meanwhile, had a strong game off the bench, as she went 4-of-9 from the floor, finishing with 10 points.
With the win over the Lady Trojans, the Owls, have now won three consecutive games, and during that stretch, they have averaged 67.3 points and are shooting 38.0 percent from the floor. Defensively, the team has been stout, holding opponents to a 51.0 point per game average and a field goal percentage of 27.9.
Gebke, a Bartelso, Illinois, native, is averaging 11.7 points in the last three games and is shooting a team-high 91.7 percent from the charity-stripe.
Kendra Vernatti and Lateju are both averaging 9.7 points, while Scherder is scoring 9.3 points and owning a field goal percentage of 47.8.
On the season, Lateju, a Norwalk, California, native, is pacing the offense with her 12.7 average. She is also shooting a team-high 49.5 percent from the floor and is second in rebounds (73) and steals (10). Volkart, leads the team on the glass, totaling 80 rebounds through 10 games, to go along with her 9.8 point per game average. Scherder, has made most of her opportunities off the bench, as she is shooting 46.1 percent from the floor and averaging 9.2 points.
Vernatti (8.4 ppg) and Gebke (8.1 ppg) are both averaging above 8.0 points, with Gebke being nearly perfect from the line, as she is hitting 96.6 percent of her attempts, which ranks her first in the NAIA.
As a team, the Owls rank in the top 20 nationally in numerous categories, which includes, No. 1 in defensive rebounds per game (33.0), sixth in total rebounds per game (46.7), sixth in field goal percentage defensively (32.6), seventh in free throw percentage (74.5), ninth in total rebound margin (9.80), 13
th in assist/turnover ratio (1.02), 15
th in assists per game (15.1) and 18
th in 3-point field goal defense (26.0).
This will be the first time since the 2013-14 season that these two teams' have met and in its last meeting, the Lady Bobcats (10-1), defeated WWU, 82-67.
The Lady Bobcats, are currently riding a season-high nine game winning streak, as they are coming off an 81-65 victory over St. Gregory's.
College of the Ozarks, shot 44.6 percent from the floor and were led by Maggie McMenamy's game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Kelsie Cleeton contributed 16 points and a game-high eight boards off the bench, while Lakin Simmerman and Brandy Uchtman netted 11 points each.
On the season, the Lady Bobcats, are scoring 74.2 points and have been led by Uchtman's 12.3 average. She is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor, 80.0 percent from the free throw line and is second on the team in rebounds (57).
Hannah Wisdom leads the team from the free throw line (82.4 percent) and has put up 11.9 points per game, while Simmerman, is hitting a team-high 53.5 percent of her shots from the floor, which has upped her average to 11.4 points the year.
This will be a battle between two strong defensive teams', as like the Owls, COFO, is holding teams' to a 65.1 average, a field goal percentage of 37.6 percent and have forced 182 turnovers.
Fans make sure to stay updated on wwuowls.com tomorrow night for a full recap and score from inside Anderson Arena.
