Box Score WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. -
Peyton Dearing scored a season-high 16 points (4-for-4 free throws and two 3-pointers) for William Woods University (3-5, 1-1 American Midwest Conference), but the Owls couldn't keep up as a team with William Baptist University's (4-1, 2-0) high-scoring offense, losing 100-67 Saturday at Southerland-Mabee Center.
"Today, we did not have the defensive intensity to compete with a team like Williams Baptist," William Woods women's basketball coach
Terry Nash said. "Thinking in a positive way, leaving on the road 1-1 is still a positive sign. We will enjoy the holiday break before we get back to work in conference, which we are extremely excited about."
After leading in two usually game-deciding statistics, rebounds and turnovers, in their 73-58 win at Central Baptist College Thursday, the Owls trailed the Eagles in both. WWU had 35 rebounds (10 offensive) with four second-chance points and scored 11 points off 17 forced turnovers, while WBU posted 42 boards (16 offensive) with 18 second-chance points and tallied 37 points off 29 forced turnovers.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, the Owls took four one-possession leads, 2-0 on
India Atkins' layup, 4-2 on
Mariah Prince's jumper, 11-10 on
Katie Keilholz's 3-pointer off a
Jersee Wren assist - Keilholz pulled down a defensive rebound to start the drive - and 16-15 on Prince's putback layup after she stole the ball on the Eagles' previous possession. Prince's bucket gave The Woods its final advantage. Following that play, Williams Baptist scored in each of its next two drives. The Eagles' Nijah Moore hit a jumper, and Chelsea Hamilton got a layup to fall as they held a 19-16 lead after one quarter.
Williams Baptist leads the NAIA in points per game, averaging 97.4, and in the second quarter, it showed that more than any of the other three. The Eagles out-scored the Owls 30-14, going 11-for-18 from the field and 3-for-3 from the free-throw line, while WWU converted 6-of-12 field goals and 0-of-2 free throws. Early in the quarter, WBU had its most dominant stretch, registering 12 unanswered points over 2:03 to increase its lead to 34-18 with 5:50 left in the first half. One of the few positives of the Owls' second quarter was Dearing draining her two 3s, but they didn't have an extended run like the Eagles and were down 49-30 at halftime.
More of the same happened in the third quarter, though it wasn't to as great of an extent. Williams Baptist out-scored William Woods 29-16, and its most extended run of the quarter was an 8-0 stretch over 1:17 that saw the Eagles go up 76-44 with 2:23 to go in the third. Despite struggling offensively, the Owls out-rebounded WBU 12-7, with Prince and Keilholz bringing down three boards each to account for half the team's total in the quarter. However, in the other key statistic, the Eagles were flawless, with no turnovers, while Woods had seven. WBU's clean play and strong shooting gave it a 78-46 lead through three quarters.
Unlike the previous two quarters, the Owls had a multi-possession run, posting five points unanswered late in the fourth quarter. To get those points,
Layla Young made two free throws,
Kaedence Gipson scored a layup following a
Ruthie Brown steal, and a possession later, Gipson went 1-for-2 at the charity stripe to make it 94-60 Eagles with 2:53 remaining. From there, WWU out-scored WBU 7-6 to end the contest.
The Owls had three players score in double figures. Joining Dearing in that department were
Sydney Booker and Prince, who each had 10 points and five rebounds — Prince also notched two steals.
William Woods finished 24-for-56 (42.9 percent) from the field, 4-for-16 (25 percent) from deep and 15-for-26 (57.7 percent) from the free throw line, and Williams Baptist was 40-of-80 (50 percent) from the field, 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from deep and 10-of-12 (83.3 percent) from the free throw line.
Eagles 5'7" point guard Carmen Taylor put in a tremendous display, recording 22 points (8-for-17 field goals, 4-for-7 3-pointers and 2-for-2 free throws), nine rebounds (five offensive), eight assists and three steals - all game-highs.
Following their holiday break, the Owls are back on the court to face the University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis (1-5, 1-1 AMC) at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at UHSP Gymnasium in St. Louis. With the NAIA's all-time leading scorer, Grace Beyer, no longer on the Eutectics, the Owls have a realistic chance to end their six-game losing streak against UHSP. WWU's last win over the Eutectics, 47-45, was the AMC meeting in Fulton during Beyer's freshman season, 2020-21.
