BILLINGS, Mont. – The William Woods University women's basketball team came to an end in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Championship Quarterfinals, presented by Wells Fargo, on Saturday evening. The Owls were defeat by Vanguard University, 71-34.
 
The Owls magical run came to an end as they were making the first appearance in the NAIA quarterfinals in school history. The Owls struggled shooting the ball in the quarterfinals as they shot 26.7 percent for the contest. WWU finishes the season with a 22-12 record.
 
Game Flow
The Owls came out firing in the first quarter as within eight seconds of the tip, Kelsey Scherder, who was trailing the play, spotted up and hit a three-pointer putting the Owls ahead, 3-0. The Owls and Lions traded baskets and after a Claire Lamunu jumper for Vanguard, the Owls led 5-4. Two and a half minutes later, Scherder hit another three-pointer putting the Owls ahead, 8-4. Vanguard would score the next six points taking a 10-8 lead with 3:31 left in the quarter. A 15-foot jumper by Kennedy Volkart with 2:13 left would tie the game at 10-10. Vanguard hit the last shot of the quarter and led the Owls 12-10 after one quarter of play
 
Vanguard and William Woods opened the second quarter by trading baskets and when Scherder knocked down her third three of the half, the Owls led 16-15. However, the Owls offense would go cold as the Lions scored the next six points taking a 21-16 lead with 5:57 left in the half. William Woods closed the gap down to four, 23-19, after an April Gebke free throw but the Lions would extend its lead to nine, 28-19. WWU continued to battle and anther jumper by Volkart put the Owls down 30-23, with 1:38 left in the half. However, the Owls did not score again in the half and the Lions scored five more points and the Owls found themselves down 35-23 at halftime.
 
The third quarter was not kind for the Owls as they were outscored 20-3 by the Lions in the quarter. The Owls basket came with 6:16 left in the quarter when Bailey Rollins hit a three. William Woods committed 11 turnovers in the quarter while the Lions shot 56.3 percent from the floor to grow its lead to 55-29 after three quarters of play.
 
The struggles continued for the Owls in the fourth quarter as they shot 3-for-14, 21 percent, in the fourth quarter. The Lions stayed hot in the quarter as they shot 46.7 percent in the quarter. WWU had no answer for the No. 5 team in the NAIA as Vanguard came away with a 71-34 victory over the Owls.
 
By the Numbers
1st – This is the first Owls team to advance to the Quarterfinals of the NAIA National Championship
9 – Kelsey Scherder and Kennedy Volkart led the Owls with nine points each
11 – WWU struggled scoring in the second half and only scored 11 points in the third and fourth quarters combined
4-for-20 – The Owls struggled in the second half as they shot 4-for-20 from the floor
6-for-22 – William Woods struggled to hit the outside shot against Vanguard as they were 6-for-22 (27 percent)
26.7 – WWU struggled shooting on Saturday as the Owls shot 26.7 percent from the floor for the contest