PARKVILLE, Mo. – The William Woods University women's basketball team kicked off the new year in a positive light, as the Owls grabbed its 10
th win on the season with a 45-38 victory over Park University, Saturday afternoon.
The Owls (10-3; 5-2 AMC), picked up its fourth consecutive American Midwest Conference (AMC) win by edging the Pirates on the road, improving their record to 5-2 in conference play.
In the first quarter, it was WWU that came out with the urgency, jumping out to an early 10-1 lead, after a two point bucket from the hands of
Kennedy Volkart. The Pirates would then get its offense going, cutting the Owls lead down to seven at 12-5 at the 4:15 minute mark, as Latice Butler laid a shot off the backboard in the paint.
After another basket from Park's Butler at the 2:35 mark, making the score 17-7 in the Owls favor, both teams went cold from the floor for the remainder of the first frame and at the end of the first quarter, WWU held on to a 17-9 advantage over the Pirates.
WWU would strike first in the second quarter, as senior
Marissa Webb nailed a three pointer, giving the Owls the 20-9 lead. Park, however, offensively sparked and put together a 11-2 run, capped off by a two point bucket from Miranda Williamson, which put the Pirates just one point away from tying the game up at 22-21.
The Owls kept its composure down the stretch of the second quarter and converted on back to back trips down the floor, giving them the 26-23 leading heading into half time.
After outscoring the Pirates 17-9 in the first quarter, WWU hit a rocky patch in the second quarter, as Park was able to get back into the game owning the second quarter, outscoring the Owls 14-9. William Woods ended the first half shooting 30.6 percent from the floor, while Park was 8-for-33 (24,2 percent) from the field.
Coming out of halftime, the Owls kicked up the notch defensively, forcing the Pirates to commit three consecutive turnovers and at the 8:21 mark,
April Gebke would collect her 15
th steal on the year and take it to the rim, to convert two points for WWU, making the score 28-23.
Throughout the third quarter, it was all defense from both sides, as each team was scoreless for over four minutes of play. But in the last two minutes of the third frame, the Owls were able to get a boast of energy, after Lateju hit 2-of-2 from the free throw line and end the frame with little bit of breathing from the Pirates, holding Park to just four points and giving them the 33-27 lead.
Heading into the final 10:00 minutes of play, the Owls defense stayed relentless and after Volkart connected on 2-of-2 from the charity stripe, WWU pushed its lead to its largest of the game at 11 and saw themselves up 44-33 with just under three minutes left in regulation.
The Pirates wouldn't go away quietly, getting within eight of the Owls at the 2:00 minute mark but that was as close as they would get, as WWU went on the steal the 45-38 victory, capturing its fifth AMC win on the season.
In a low-scoring game, that saw both teams shoot under their season average, William Woods ended the day shooting just 28.3 percent from the field and only connected on 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Park closed out the game shooting a bitter 21.5 percent from the floor and unable to hit from the three point line, going 0-of-12.
Lateju led the Owls with 12 points, on 4-of-11 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from the free throw line, while Volkart added nine points and seven rebounds.
April Gebke,
Kelsey Scherder and
Julia Wells each chipped in six points a piece, while Webb had five points. Wells also had yet another impressive day on the boards, while the senior collected 11 rebounds, making it her second straight game with double figures in the rebound category, she also nabbed four steals.
The Owls were able to contend the Pirates red hot Butler, who ended with a remarkable double-double, with 17 points and 17 boards.
The Owls next game is on Tuesday, as the team travels to Belleville, Illinois for a match-up with Lindenwood University-Belleville. Tip-off is set for 5;30 p.m.
Fans check back on wwuowls.com Tuesday night for a full recap and score of the game.
