FULTON, Mo. – The No. 25 William Woods University women's basketball team will advance to the quarterfinal round of the American Midwest Conference Championship following their 71-54 win over Williams Baptist University in the semifinals Thursday evening. 
 
With a 25-6 overall record, the Owls will travel to No. 11 Lyon for the second round. The two teams will take the court at 3 p.m. in Batesville, Ark. The winner will advance to the AMC Championship.
 
Tournament Page
 
By The Numbers
21 – The Owls outscored WBU 21-11 in the final quarter.
16 – Kaycee Gerald led the floor with 16 points, recording a double-double in the process.
15 – The Owls are 15-1 on their home court.
14 – Rylie Cox and Peyton Greenlee each added 14 points to the win.
11 – Gerald pulled down 11 boards, nine coming from the defensive end.
7 – Gerald dished in a floor-high seven assists.
6 – Kasey Hazell grabbed six steals.  
 
Game Flow
The Owls quickly jumped out to a 10-point lead just 2:34 into the game, 13-3. WBU worked their way back in, cutting it to one with 1:39 left in the first quarter. 
 
Two free throws from Jazlyn Drake put the Owls back up by three, and the team closed out the quarter with a 6-0 run to hold a seven-point lead heading into the second, 23-16.
 
Kasey Hazell hit a long jumper to put the Owls up by nine to start the second quarter, 25-16.
 
WBU scored the next six to cut the game to three, and after trading buckets, WBU hit a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the game with 1:00 to play in the first half, 30-29.
 
Just six seconds later, Drake hit a three to put the Owls back up by two, 32-30. Rylie Cox scored the last points of the half on a fast break, giving the Owls a 34-30 lead heading into halftime.
 
Hazell scored on the opening play of the second half, and Peyton Greenlee went 2-for-2 from the foul line to give the Owls an eight-point lead just a minute into the second half, 38-30.
 
A three from Kaycee Gerald gave the Owls their first double-digit lead since early in the game with 6:05 to play, and a three from Greenlee extended the lead to 13 with just over half to play, 46-33.
 
WBU cut the game to six with just under two minutes, 46-40.
 
Two free throws from Tori Nesslage put the Owls up by 10 again, but WBU hit a three just before the end of the third to bring the game to 50-43 heading into the final quarter.
 
A 9-0 Owls' run started the fourth quarter, giving them a 16-point cushion with 7:20 to play, 59-43.
 
WBU brought the game within 10 with 2:30 left to play, but five points from Gerald put the Owls up by 15 with 1:44 on the clock, 67-52.
 
Greenlee and Cox went a combined 4-for-4 from the foul line to end the game with a 17-point win, 71-54.