ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The William Woods University women's basketball team fell apart in the second half of Tuesday's game at University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy, ending in a 72-53 loss. The Owls fall to 1-3 on the season.
 
The Owls held an eight-point lead coming out of halftime but were outscored 48-21 in the second half.
 
The team continues their road series with a 1 p.m. conference game at Lyon College (Ark.) on Saturday, Jan. 16. Please note that Thursday's game at Central Baptist was moved to Monday, Jan. 18 because there was a mandatory quarantine with CBC's team.
 
By The Numbers
19 – Kiyanna Rodgers posted a team-high 19 points while going 8-for-8 from the foul line.
13 – Jheda Kennedy drained four three-pointers to add 13 points.
10 – Amaya Keeling added 10 points to the score, shooting 4-for-7 from the field.
9 – The Owls went 9-for-10 from the foul line, shooting 90 percent.
7 – Arriyonn Phillips pulled down seven boards with six coming from the defensive end.
5 – Jheda Kennedy dished in five assists.
 
Game Flow
UHSP got on the board first, but a 9-1 Owls run powered by three three-pointers put the team up by seven with 3:29 to play in the first quarter, 12-5. UHSP slashed the Owls' lead to one, but a last second bucket by Kiyanna Rodgers put the Owls up by three at the end of the first quarter, 14-11.
 
Natalie Thomas scored first in the second quarter, and two good free throws from Rodgers following her steal and fast break layup put the Owls back up by seven less than a minute in. UHSP hit two threes and a jumper to take the lead halfway through, but Amaya Keeling answered with a three to put the Owls back on top, 23-21. Her three jump started a 12-3 Owls' run to close out the half with an eight-point lead, 32-24.
 
UHSP outscored the Owls 27-10 in the third quarter. Outside of one free throw, the Owls were held scoreless until the five-minute mark when Thomas hit a three to put the Owls back in the lead by two, 36-34. UHSP answered with a three on their next play and pushed a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead, 41-36. Rodgers scored the Owls' final six points of the quarter while UHSP put up 10 to hold a 51-42 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
UHSP pushed out a 15-point lead just over a minute into the final quarter. Tori Nesslage and Keeling hit back-to-back buckets to cut the game to 11. UHSP followed by jumping on a 10-2 run to go up by 19 with 3:11 on the clock, 67-48. Rodgers hit her seventh and eighth free throw to bring the game to 67-50, but UHSP quickly went back up by 19. UHSP outscored WWU 21-11 in the final quarter, ending the game with a 72-53 Owls' loss.