ST. LOUIS - Getting back on track, William Woods University (8-12, 6-8 American Midwest Conference) snapped its five-game losing streak, sweeping the season series over Harris-Stowe State University (5-15, 4-11) by beating the Hornets 67-62 Saturday at Emerson Performance Center.
Peyton Dearing scored a game-high 20 points (9-11 free throws) - her fourth matchup with at least 20 points this season - and swiped a tri-team-high two steals for WWU, while
Mariah Prince collected a game-high 12 boards and also had two steals and
Sydney Booker posted 16 points (7-11 field goals), nine boards and one assists.
India Atkins supported the Owls with a team-high three assists,
Katie Keilholz notched two steals and 5-foot, 5-inch guard
Jersee Wren went up for Woods' lone block.
The Owls started how they wanted, tallying six points without replay on back-to-back Booker layups with a Wren steal between them and a Dearing inside bucket. HSSU responded with a 9-2 run, taking a 9-8 lead on Cailynn Dilosa's layup with 2:24 left in the first quarter. Then, with 45 seconds left in the first, Dearing knocked down the first of two WWU 3-pointers to send the Owls ahead, and Keilholz had a three-point play on Woods' next possession, ending the first quarter with the Owls up 14-9.Â
The Hornets scored the first five points of the second quarter, knotting it at 14 on Lauryn Evans' triple with 7:39 remaining. Keilholz put WWU back in front on its ensuing drive, getting a putback layup to fall. The Owls stayed in front for nearly two minutes before HSSU drained two straight 3-pointers, with the last of Evans' two makes from deep putting the Hornets on top 22-20.Â
A few possessions later, Prince stole the ball and went coast-to-cost for a layup while fouled; she converted her free throw and put Woods up 23-22. HSSU wasn't done landing 3s, as Samara Swire landed the last of the Hornets' five in the first half to take a 25-23 advantage. After that basket, the Owls controlled the remainder of the second, tying it at 25 on Booker's layup assisted by Dearing and holding the lead for the remainder of the half after
Layla Young swished in two free throws with 1:35 to go. It stayed a one-possession game at halftime, with William Woods on top 31-29.
Unlike the first two quarters, the Owls kept their lead throughout the third quarter, and their 6-0 run to begin it helped them do that. Three WWU players scored during the run, starting with an Atkins layup, followed by a Wren make inside and two free throw makes by Booker, which gave the Owls a 37-29 cushion. Following that strong start to the quarter, HSSU outscored WWU 15-10 to end the third, cutting the Owls' lead to 47-44.
William Woods also had a great start to the fourth quarter, going on a 12-4 run over the first 3:18. During that stretch, Dearing scored seven points (5-5 free throws and a layup), and notably, Keilholz splashed in her 205th 3-pointer as an Owl to overtake Jestine Gerber (2006-07, 2008-11) for the third-most in program history. Keilholz is 17 triples away from earning the No. 2 spot over Angela Wallace (1999-03). The best stretch from leading scorer Dearing and more history from Keilholz increased WWU's lead to 59-48. Harris-Stowe tried to come back, using a 14-5 run to make it a two-point game (64-62) with 1:11 to go. But the Owls denied them at the free-throw line; Dearing made 1-2 to put it at 65-62 WWU with :18 left, then Wren iced it by hitting two with :04 to finalize a five-point win.Â
The Owls collected 38 rebounds (six offensive) with eight second-chance points, tallied 16 points off nine forced turnovers and shot 45.5% (20-44) from the field, 33.3% (2-6) from 3-point range and 86.2% (25-29) at the line. The Hornets pulled down 36 boards (14 offensive) with 13 second-chance points, scored 12 points off 12 forced turnovers and converted 37.3% (25-67) from the field, 37.5% (6-16) from deep and 60% (6-10) from the stripe.
Due to another rescheduling, William Woods has another three-game week, tipping it off against Crowley's Ridge College (8-12, 2-12 AMC) at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Carter Activities Center in Paragould, Arkansas. The Owls were initially slated to face the Pioneers on Jan. 11, but it was postponed due to winter weather.
