FULTON - The William Woods University women's basketball team returns to Anderson Arena on Thursday night to take on a streaking Park University squad. The Owls are looking to rebound from a tough overtime loss at Hannibal-LaGrange last Saturday, while Park is currently on a four-game winning streak including a win over Columbia College.

Earlier This Season

In the first meeting between the teams on the 2011-12 season, the Owls took a 61-58 win at Breckon Sports Center in Parkville, behind a career game from freshman Blake French. The St. Charles, Mo., native poured in 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-pt range as WWU held off a late charge from Park for the win.

Quick Look - William Woods

The Owls are carrying a 16-7 record into tonight's contest, with Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) leading the charge for the Owls with 13.1 pts/gm on the season. WWU has been up and down in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches Poll this season, having debuted in the #23 spot and climbing as high as #22 on the season. They currently sit just seven points outside of the top 25, with 66 points on the year.

In addition to leading the Owl offense, Andrews is also tops in the steal department for William Woods, with her 57 steals good for 38th in the nation. Her per game pace of 2.478 is 40th in the country as well. Blake French (St. Charles, Mo.) is also ranked nationally for the Owls, with her assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.556 good for 43rd among NAIA Division I players.

As a team, the Owls are ranked in a number of categories, highlighted by a stout defensive philosophy. WWU allows just 56.7 pts/gm to its foes on a shooting pace of .362, good for 17th and 21st in the country respectively. The Owls are also among the top 50 on both sides of the rebounding ledger, grabbing 40.8 per game (39th) and allowing just 36.7 (40th). The margin of 4.043 per game is the 35th-highest in the nation.

Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) is the team's leading rebounder, hauling in 7.2 per game on the campaign, with Andrews just behind her at 6.2 per contest. Ashlee Taylor (Dexter, Mo.) and Miranda Loesch (Lohman, Mo.) each add 4.6 boards per game, rounding out a well-balanced glass crew for the Owls. Aubuchon and Taylor are also solid contributors offensively, with 9.7 pts/gm and 8.0 pts/gm respectively on the year.

The Owls have also been solid in blocks on the season, with 74 rejections to 41 for its opponents. As a team, the Owls have hit at a .385 pace from the floor this year, with a .313 mark from beyond the arc. WWU has also posted a solid .677 pace from the free throw line, with its opponents able to muster just a .638 pace from the stripe.

Quick Look - Park

After opening the conference slate with just one win in five outings, the Pirates have come on strong in recent days. Park is currently riding a four-game winning streak that includes a 22-point win over Columbia College. Vivian Holcomb leads the Pirates with 11.7 pts/gm on the year, with Brianna Beridon adding 9.2 on the campaign. Beridon has been one of two go-to scorers for Park in the current four-game run, with 14 points against Stephens and 19 against Hannibal-LaGrange. Danila Fabbri led the Pirates against Missouri Baptist and Columbia, knocking in 14 and 17 respectively.

Milestone Watch

WWU head coach Dan Chapla is within reach of two milestone wins. In his fourth year at the helm, he needs just four wins to reach 100 career wins for William Woods, and would become the third coach to reach the milestone for the Owls. He is all but guaranteed of reaching the mark faster than any other coach at WWU, as Roger Ternes hit the mark in his 159th game (100-59) and Melissa Brooks needed 195 games (100-95) to do it.

Putting The Student First In Student-Athlete

Senior Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) was recently named to the CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District 7 Team in the University Division. The honor, the first such accolade for William Woods University, recognizes Aubuchon as a standout on both the court and in the classroom. To be eligible for the award, players must have earned a 3.300 GPA or higher, must have completed one full year at the institution, and must be a regular contributor to the team. With the district honor, the Physical Education major moves on to national balloting.