COLUMBIA, Mo. – After six straight wins, the William Woods University women's basketball team fell 56-53 to No. 2 Columbia Thursday night. WWU is now 14-7 overall and 10-5 in the AMC.
 
Kaycee Gerald led the Owls with 12 points and 9 rebounds. She also dished out 4 assists in the contest. Peyton Greenlee followed right behind with 10 points of her own and 7 rebounds. Bailey Rollins chipped in 9 points.
 
WWU returns to action Saturday, Jan. 26^th when they travel to St. Louis Mo. To face Missouri Baptist. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Game Flow
Columbia was the first to strike a punch early in the opening period. A three-point basket from Raegan Wieser put the Cougars ahead 3-0.
 
William Woods finally got on the board 2-minutes into the game when Kasey Hazell had a strong finish in the paint. A few second later, Gerald was fouled and sent to the line where she went 2-2 and put WWU up 4-3.
 
At the 3:19 mark Columbia regained a 12-7 lead when Jordan Alford knocked down her first three-pointer of the game. WWU responded with a three-point basket of their own coming from Rollins putting the Owls down two.
 
With a little under three minutes left, Ashlee Marlatt knocked down but her free throw attempts giving CC a 14-10. A few moments later, Sarah Walters was fouled and sent to the line where she also went 2-2 giving Columbia a 17-10 first period lead.
 
Down by four, the Owls opened the second period with a Tori Nesslage three-pointer putting them down 17-13. A Sommer Burgard free throw would put WWU down by five.
 
At the 8:16 mark, Alexis Uffman scored a two-point basket in the paint pushing the Cougar lead to 19-14. William Woods returned the favor with a two-point basket of their own coming from Burgard.
 
Columbia controlled majority of the third period. They didn't allow the Owls to get five in the final minutes of the second period.
With 1-minute remaining in the half, Wiser knocked down a huge three-point basket giving the Cougars a 36-24 halftime lead.
 
 
William Woods opened the third period with two back-to-back baskets. A three-point bucket from Greenlee and a nice lay-in finish put the Owls down 36-29.
 
After a short WWU run, Columbia regained a double-digit lead when Alford hit a deep shot from downtown.
 
Much like the end of the second period, the Cougars controlled the third period as well. With 2-minutes left in the third, the Cougars found themselves up 17 when Marlatt hit a three-point basket.
 
Greenlee would score the final basket in the third period and put William Woods down 50-35.
 
Entering the fourth period, it seemed as if the Cougars would walk away with a victory; but the Owls had something different in mind. WWU scored 11 straight points putting down 54-53 with just 2-minutes left in the game. During their run, the Owls only allowed four points from Columbia.
 
With 1:29 left on the clock, Morgan Brandt had a strong finish in the paint that sealed the game.
 
Brandt's basket would be the final point scored in the contest and Columbia went on to defeat the Owls 56-53.
 
By the Numbers
7 – Peyton Greenlee and Kasey Hazell had 7 rebounds in the contest
9 – Kaycee Gerald led WWU with 9 rebounds
12 – Gerald led the Owls with 12 points
22 – William Woods turned the ball over 22 times in the game
40% - The Owls shot 40% from the field