FULTON, Mo. - In a battle of two of the top defensive teams in the conference, William Woods (12-10, 6-7 AMC) held (RV) Stephens (18-5, 13-1 AMC) to just three points in the first quarter but couldn't maintain the pressure, falling 73-46 on Saturday.
Although the Owls weren't able to convert after forcing an opening possession turnover and Stephens took an early 2-0 lead, the Chu Crockett basket was the only one allowed by Woods in the first quarter. Coming out in a new defensive look, WWU held Stephens to 6.3 percent field goal shooting (1-16) over the opening 10 minutes of the contest.
With a slim 7-3 lead, Woods hoped to avoid the second-quarter shooting woes that has troubled the team over the past several games.
Sydney Booker hit a pair of jumpers in the opening moments of the second to surpass the 1,000 career point mark and put WWU up 11-6, but Stephens responded to the make with 14 unanswered points.
The Owls were able to shake off the doldrums and battle back for a 25-23 lead with 42 seconds on the clock, but
Katie Keilholz wasn't able to answer Aushara Hostetler's late three.
WWU trailed 26-25 at the halftime break and tried to hold on after the intermission, but Stephens found an offensive groove in the third, shooting 63.2 percent (12-19) from the floor. The Owls trailed 56-35 at the end of the third and couldn't muster a comeback in the fourth.
Booker led the Owls with 12 points on the evening, putting the junior at 1,004 for her career.
The Owls look to bounce back into the win column on Tuesday night, squaring off against Harris-Stowe for the second time in just eight days. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m., with the inaugural Teddy Bear Toss to be featured following the game. Join William Woods to help the Super Sam Foundation build Comfort Packs and Sibling Packs to help kids battling childhood cancer.
