FULTON, Mo. - After a fairly tame first three quarters, William Woods (6-4) poured it on from distance in the fourth to run Bethel College (3-9) out of the Owls' home away from home by a 77-56 margin on Saturday afternoon.
Sydney Booker posted a double-double (21 pts, 15 reb) to lead all scorers in the contest, with
Katie Keilholz chipping in 18 points.
It took the Owls a few moments to find the range inside Historic Westminster Gym, as Woods missed its first three field goal attempts and Bethel took a 2-0 lead. But after layups by
Natalie Thomas and Booker, WWU bounded out to a 17-10 first quarter lead.
A late three-pointer by Lexi Robinson pulled Bethel within a 29-24 gap at halftime, and the Threshers continued to pare the Woods lead coming out of the break. A three-point play by Caryn Yoder managed to pull BC within a bucket, and after a missed three on the other end, Madyson McKinzie leveled the proceedings at 31-31 with 7:00 on the clock.
On the ensuing possession, Booker drew contact as she gathered her own rebound, finishing the three-point play to put Woods back in front. A Keilholz triple off an assist by Thomas put WWU up by seven in the waning moments of the third, with the Threshers converting a pair of last-second free throws to close the quarter as they had started, trailing by five.
Another pair of assisted threes by Keilholz opened the floodgates for William Woods, as they extended to a 23-point lead with just over two minutes left in the contest. Bethel was able to trade a two-for-one on layups in the final minute, but it was scant consolation.
Woods won the overall rebounding battle 46-39, minimizing Bethel's 12-7 edge on the offensive glass by allowing just six second-chance points for the Threshers. WWU shot a rocket-hot 62.5 percent (10-16) in the fourth to close out at an overall pace of 44.3 percent (27-61), holding Bethel to a minuscule 30.6 percent (22-72) pace.
After the holiday break, the Owls take a brief jaunt into exhibition play, traveling to Newman University on Dec. 30. Tipoff against the Division II Jets is slated for 3 p.m.
