FULTON, Mo. – The William Woods University women's basketball team opened up conference play Thursday evening with a tight loss to Stephens College, 52-48. The Owls drop to 3-7 on the season and begin conference with a 0-1 record.
 
The Owls next face RV Columbia College at home Saturday, Dec. 4, at 1 p.m.
 
By The Numbers
30 – The Owls outscored SC 30-17 through the second and third quarters.
16 – Katie Keilholz put up a career-high 16 points to lead the team (4-for-8 3FG).
12 – Sydney Booker pulled down a floor-high 12 rebounds, and Olivia Hanks added 12 points to the Owls' score after shooting 5-for-9 from the field.
6 ­– Kasey Hazell and Katie Keilholz pulled down six boards each.
 
Game Highlights
The Owls evened the score after SC opened the game with a 5-0 lead, but an 8-0 SC run put them up with 3:10 to play, 13-5. A three from Katie Keilholz broke up the run, but SC finished out the quarter with a 6-0 run to lead 19-8.
 
The Owls outscored SC 16-7 in the second quarter to bring them within two heading into halftime.
 
A traditional three-point play from SC opened the quarter and put them up by 14, their largest lead of the game. Kasey Hazell hit a jumper, and almost three minutes later Keilholz hit a three to bring the Owls' deficit within single digits, 22-13.
 
Back-to-back three-pointers from Keilholz and Olivia Hanks cut the game to five, and two good free throws from Keilholz closed out the Owls' 8-0 run to bring them within three with 54 seconds remaining. SC cut the Owls' run with a jumper, but just before the buzzer, Jheda Kennedy grabbed the loose ball and knocked down a three from the top of the key to send the game into halftime with the Owls trailing by two, 26-24.
 
The first five points of the second half came out of Keilholz to give the Owls their first lead of the game just a minute in, 29-26. SC pulled back in the lead, but the Owls answered with a 7-0 run to go up by six with 3:34 to play, 36-30. SC scored the final four points of the quarter, sending the game into the final 10 minutes with the Owls up 38-36.
 
SC evened the score following a steal and fast break layup coming into the fourth. A three from Hanks put the Owls back up by four, but halfway through the quarter, SC evened the score at 44-44. They went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to take up a six-point lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game, 52-46. Sydney Booker scored the final points of the game on a put-back to end with a 52-48 Owls' loss.