FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University women's basketball team got back in the win column on Thursday evening with an 84-69, victory over Williams Baptist College in American Midwest Conference action.
 
Leading the Owls was Kaycee Gerald with 23 points. Bailey Rollins chipped in 16, Lexy Ganaway scored 12 and Peyton Greenlee and Jasmine Brown added 10 each. Gerald led the owls with 12 rebounds in the game collecting a double-double. WWU shot 45.6 percent from the floor in the game.
 
The Owls host the Lady Lions of Freed-Hardeman University on Saturday, February 3. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Freed-Hardeman enters the contest with the Owls as the No. 1 team in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball.
 
Game Flow
The Owls and Eagles traded baskets opening the contest and then both teams went the next three minutes scoreless. Jasmine Brown got the scoring started again with a pair of free throws. Once shots started falling both teams traded leads and a three by Lexy Ganaway put the Owls ahead, 10-8. Ganaway came back with another three and the Owls led by five, 13-8. Both teams traded buckets and after one quarter of play, the Owls led, 15-10.
 
William Woods stretched the lead to eight, 20-12, after a Bailey Rollins three opening the second quarter. Williams Baptist answered back by going on an 8-0 run and tying the game at 20-20 with 6:25 left before halftime. Over the next three minutes of the contest, WWU stretched its lead back to five, 29-24, after a three by Peyton Greenlee. WWU grew its lead to six, 34-28, in the quarter but the Eagles came back and trimmed the lead down to one, 34-33, going into halftime.
 
Coming out of halftime and grew the lead to five after back-to-back threes by Rollins. WWU continued to extend its lead and led by nine, 44-35, after a Brown jumper with 6:10 left in the quarter. Williams Baptist followed with an 8-0 run and trailed the Owls by one, 44-43, after a Da'Monique Brown jumper. The Owls stretched the lead to seven, 53-46, closing out the quarter, when Kaycee Gerald hit a half court shot as the quarter ended.
 
Williams Baptist got the Owls lead back to three, 53-50, after an Ashlyn Ellis runner. WWU did not let them stay close as they grew the lead to 10 points, over the next three minutes of the contest. WWU went on a 10-3 run taking a 10-point lead, 63-53. Williams Baptist made one last charge at the Owls as they trimmed the lead back to five, but the Owls responded and grew the lead to 13, 75-62, after an old fashion three-point play by Gerald. William Woods held onto a double-digit lead the rest of the contest and came away with an 84-69 victory.
 
By the Numbers
5 – WWU had five players score in double-figures
23 – Kaycee Gerald led the Owls with 23 points
13 – The Owls hit 13 three-pointers in the contest
4 – Bailey Rollins hit four three-pointers in the game
17 – William Woods dished out 17 assists in the victory
7 – The Owls recorded seven steals
45.6 – WWU shot 45.6 percent from the floor
12 – Gerald led the Owls with 12 rebounds