COLUMBIA, Mo. - William Woods (13-12, 7-9 AMC) got off to a strong start on Saturday against Columbia College (22-4, 14-2 AMC), outscoring the Cougars 18-14 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, Woods couldn't sustain the momentum, falling 68-52.
Sydney Booker led the Owls offense with 16 points in the contest.
After Madison Weydert answered Booker's opening basket with a three-pointer for Columbia, the Owls unleashed a 14-5 run spanning six minutes.
Jersee Wren finished off the run with back-to-back jumpers to give WWU a 16-8 lead with 2:24 left.
Columbia posted a big run of its own, turning a four-point deficit into a 29-21 lead with 4:00 left in the first half.
Woods closed the gap to 31-27 at the half, but Columbia found a hot streak in the third quarter, shooting 62.5 percent (10-16) from the floor to open a 55-42 lead.
WWU finished the evening at a 32.7 percent (18-55) field goal shooting pace, with a perfect 11-11 mark at the free throw line. Columbia's third quarter buoyed them to a 43.5 percent (27-62) overall shooting mark on the afternoon.
The Owls return to Anderson Arena to close out the regular season, taking on Central Baptist College on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
