LEBANON, ILL. - Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) posted her third double-double of the season and the team's fifth in five consecutive games as the William Woods University women's basketball team rolled over former AMC foe McKendree University by a 56-47 scoreline. The senior tallied a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds as WWU stretched its winning streak to three games.

It took the Owls a bit to get started, with nearly two full minutes passing between the first bucket and the second, but once WWU found the range it was full speed ahead. WWU opened up a 20-5 lead by the 10-minute mark, paced by seven points from Andrews and six from Miranda Loesch.

McKendree pulled to within 12 with 8:10 to go on the strength of a 5-2 spurt, but a quick timeout and an open trey from Ashlee Taylor (Dexter, Mo.) quashed the surge and started another huge WWU run, as the Owls reeled off 12 points over the next three-and-a-half minutes and allowed just a Brittney Willis jumper to take a 34-12 lead with 4:03 left.

Both teams closed out the half on a cold-shooting spell, as WWU took a 39-15 lead into the break.

The Bearcats looked as if they wanted to mount a comeback, scoring eight straight out of the halftime intermission, but Andrews forced a turnover and converted on the fast break layup, with a Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) jumper pushing the lead back to 43-23 with 13:58 to go.

Even though McKendree would narrow the WWU lead to 45-36 with 10:10 left in the game, the Owls were able to comfortably hold the Bearcats at arm's length and close out the contest 13-point winners.

Andrews was one of two WWU players to finish the contest in double-digit scoring, with Taylor adding 10 on the afternoon. The Owls also held a 44-37 rebounding edge - led by Megan Aubuchon's (Old Monroe, Mo.) game-high 12 -but were outshot by a slim .351-.333 margin. WWU made up for the margin with rock-solid shooting from the free throw line, missing on just two of their 15 trips compared to just 3-of-8 shooting for McKendree.

William Woods moves to 10-4 on the season and will open its American Midwest Conference schedule on Thursday night against Hannibal-LaGrange University. Tipoff for the game is set for 5:30 p.m., and it's the first of a doubleheader with the WWU men.

ShowMe Scoreboard, 1.7.2012

Games played Friday, January 6. 2012

High School Boys

• Dexter 78, Woodland 55
• Bloomfield 65, East Prairie 33
• Advance 83, Meadow Heights 29
• Charleston 58, Sikeston 50
• Risco 86,Leopold 71
• Scott City 66, Chaffee 54
• DeSoto 63, Perryville 49
• Naylor 77, Neelyville 56
• Senath-Hornersville 48, Southland 37
• Holcomb 66, Malden 39
• Kennett 47, Poplar Bluff 32
• Hayti 61, Campbell 40

High School Girls

• Jackson 48, Cor Jesu 43
• Woodland 53, Delta 35
• Saxony Lutheran 50, Scott City Central 34

NCAA Men

• Kentucky 81, St. John’s 59
• Arkansas Sate 58, St. Bonaventure 52
• Harvard 55, Vermont 48
• Murray State 70, Western Kentucky 59
  

NCAA Women

• Duke 76, Wake Forest 58
• Maryland 77, Georgia Tech 74

Saturday's Games

• William Woods (Women) @ McKendree University
• Mizzou @ Kansas State
• Mizzou (Women) vs Texas Tech
• Missouri S&T (Women) @ Kentucky Wesleyan
• Lafayette @ NAVY
• SEMO (Women) @ Eastern Kentucky
• SEMO @ Eastern Kentucky

 

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

MARBLE HILL - After a disappointing performance in Thursday night’s loss to the Notre Dame Bulldogs, the Dexter Bearcats picked up a much-needed victory when they faced the Woodland Cardinals on Friday night. The ‘Cats were a little flat to open the contest, but mounted a big lead in the late first and second quarters to propel themselves to a 78-55 victory.

Head coach Rob Nichols was pleased with his squad’s effort, but noted their defensive letdown in the second half as an area for improvement.

“We played alright, especially during that stretch in the early second quarter,” Nichols said. “Our lead ballooned pretty good there, but in the second half we didn’t guard very well and acted content to just trade baskets with them - we can’t play like that.”

“The kids attacked the basket and took what they gave us defensively,” he added.

The ‘Cats started a little sluggish on offense, and held a 9-6 lead at the 2:30 mark. Tyler Miller picked off an errant pass and dished the ball to Cody Neldon for a quick bucket to help push the ‘Cats to a 14-9 lead at the end of the first.

Chase Young and Miller both buried threes for the Bearcats in the second quarter, and a three point play from Jake Lee piled on to a 17-1 run early in the second quarter. Garrot Reyonalds knocked down the Redbirds’ only shot from beyond the arc at the buzzer to send the ‘Cats into the locker room with a 38-19 lead.

Dylan Miller had a 10 point effort for the Cardinals in the third, but two threes from Miller and an 11 point frame from Neldon kept the ‘Cats up 61-40 heading into the fourth quarter.

Lance Yount dropped in eight of the Cardinals’ 15 fourth quarter points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ‘Cats potent offense. Matt Ridlen knocked down a deep three to seal the DHS victory with a 78-55 final score.

“I thought we played hard, I just think we lost focus at different parts of the game,” Nichols said. “We got content to trade baskets. We just have to guard better than that. We can’t keep giving up 55 points and a 36 point second half.”

“There wasn’t a really big difference mentally [from last night]. I think we just came out and made some shots early in the game,” Nichols added. “From a mental standpoint, when you get a few buckets early everything gets easier. It was a good, positive win, but I know we can play better.”

The ‘Cats had four players in double-figures in the blowout win; Miller paced them with 21, while Neldon added 17. Lee and Young each chipped in 12 points.

Yount led the Cardinals with 16 points; Miller and Skyler Liley added 12 and 10, respectively.

In the JV contest, the ‘Cats lost a first-half lead and never regained control of the contest. The young Cardinals capitalized on every Bearcat mistake, and defeated the ‘Cats by a 46-37 margin.

The ‘Cats will be in action again on Tuesday night, when they head back to Bloomfield to take on the Wildcats in another SCAA contest.

“It’ll be a tough, competitive game. They have a good team this year,” Nichols said. “We’ll have a target on our backs, and we’ll have to play well.”

Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

ADVANCE - The Bernie Mules and Advance Hornets faced off in a SCAA showdown on Thursday night. The Hornets took control of the game early, and held off a late offensive surge from the Mules to take a 65-56 victory.

Advance held a 14-8 lead after the opening frame, and opened up an even bigger lead in the second quarter thanks to threes from Tyler Middleton and Hunter Wilson. A late run from the Mules brought the score to 32-21 at the half.

Troy Kirkpatrick buried a pair of threes late in the third quarter, paired with a better defensive effort to open the second half, helped the Mules keep the game within reach after the third quarter.

Ethan Barr dominated the glass for Advance throughout the second half, and he took control of the game in the fourth quarter; the junior post dropped in nine of his 21 points in the closing frame to seal a 65-56 Hornet victory.

“Hats off to Advance tonight. They really came out with a lot of energy and aggressiveness, and we got behind and couldn’t make it up,” Bernie head coach Brad Botsch said. “They really outplayed us from a physicality standpoint and we really struggled to score against them.”

“Our kids really fought and battled in the 2nd half. I rarely feel good after a loss, but I really think our kids came together tonight. I saw more competitiveness, leadership, and desire in the 2nd half than we’ve had all year,” Botsch added. “If a few more of our shots fall, this game could have ended differently. We really put forth great effort and showed guts in the 2nd half, and we’re going to build off of that.” Barr paced the Hornets with 21 points, while Lane Below added 16. The Mules were led by David Baker, with 18 points. Matt Eaves finished just off the mark with 17 points.

The Mules will be in action again on Friday, Jan. 13, when they face off against the Dexter Bearcats. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at the BEC.

FULTON - Looking to continue its two-game winning streak, the William Woods University women's basketball team heads to Lebanon, Ill., on Saturday to take on former American Midwest Conference foe McKendree University. Tipoff for the game is set for 2 p.m. at the Melvin Price Convocation Center. This is the 57th meeting between the two schools, with WWU holding a 30-26 edge in the series.

By The Numbers

Coming into the game, WWU finds itself slightly outpaced on the offensive end of the floor, as McKendree averages nearly six points per contest more than the Owls and holds a .428-.375 edge in shooting accuracy. WIlliam Woods narrows the gap accuracy-wise from three-point range, but musters 3.8 treys per game to just 3.1 for McKendree.

The Owls hold a solid edge on the glass, pulling down 2.8 more rebounds per game and a rebounding margin of 3.4 per game to just 1.4 for the Bearcats. On the defensive end of the floor, WWU has allowed nearly 11 points fewer per game, and held its opponents to just .351 shooting compared to a .403 rate for McKendree foes.

About The Bearcats

McKendree University is finishing the transition process to NCAA Division II this year, and will become a full member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference for the 2012-13 academic year. After opening the season with three straight wins, the Bearcats have struggled to a 6-10 overall record. Caty Ponce leads McKendree with 14.8 pts/gm on the year, with Brittany Willis sitting just outside the double-digit plateau with 9.9 pts/gm. Shelby Woelfel is the top rebounder for the Bearcats on the year, pulling down 7.0 boards per contest. She also chips in a respectable 8.6 pts/gm.

As a team, McKendree shoots at a healthy .428 clip and holds its opponents to a .403 pace, but three-point shooting has played a much bigger role in the team's fortunes. The Bearcats are evenly matched percentage-wise with its opponents, with its .301 pace just shy of its opponent's .311 accuracy mark, but McKendree has just 50 makes from long-range compared to 87 for its opponents.

Last Time Out For The Owls

The Owls closed out the 2011 calendar with a pair of wins in the Cougars vs. Cancer Classic at Columbia College. WWU knocked off #12 Campbellsville by a 59-53 margin on Friday before rolling to a 75-60 win over Peru State College. WWU saw standout performances from a pair of players on the weekend, as Sharron Andrews and Megan Aubuchon each recorded new career highs and earned recognition on the All-Classic team.

Andrews posted her second double-double of the season against Campbellsville, rallying the team from an 11-point halftime deficit with 17 points and a career-best 16 rebounds. Aubuchon was one of two outstanding free throw shooters on the afternoon in WWU's win over Peru State, hitting at a 9-of-11 clip en route to her second double-double. The senior dropped in a career-high 23 points and added 11 rebounds in the win.