FULTON - In a brief foray out of conference action, the William Woods University women's basketball team struggled from three-point range en route to a 40-52 reversal at the hands of Westminster College in a matchup of crosstown rivals. Megan Aubuchon (Old Monroe, Mo.) led the Owls with eight points and eight rebounds on the night, as WWU shot a paltry .067 (1-of-15) from beyond the arc.

The Blue Jays came out of the gates looking to press the entire game, and although the Owls were able to slip the press, WWU had difficulty finding the range and trailed 4-10 early.

A slow-rolling 8-0 run by the Owls would briefly put William Woods on top. Aubuchon started the run with a half-court pass finding Olivia Storjohann (Eldridge, Iowa) in the lane for a bucket. Aubuchon would finish off drives from Destani Stensrud (Exeter, Mo.) and Ciara Tatum (Columbia, Mo.) during the run, with Stephanie Copelin (O'Fallon, Ill.) putting WWU in front 12-10 with a bucket at the 6:36 mark.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as Westminster responded on its next possession and eventually pushed out to a 19-27 halftime edge.

WWU attempted to mount a comeback, scoring first in the second half, but three treys from Leigh Ann Lutz with only an Aubuchon bucket in response left the Owls trailing 23-37 with just under 15 minutes to play. Katie Scherder (Bowling Green, Mo.) knocked down a trey on the next possession for the Owls to close the deficit to 11 before a shot clock violation was turned into a bucked from Sharron Andrews (Oakland, Hayward, Calif.) to narrow the margin to 28-37 with 13:45 on the clock.

An uncharacteristic miss at the free throw line by Miranda Loesch (Lohman, Mo.) left the door open for Westminster, who wasted little time in pushing the margin back to double figures. The Owls could pull no closer than 12 points down the stretch, falling to 13-6 on the season.

Andrews also had eight points for the Owls on the night, with Loesch adding seven. WWU had the better end of the rebounding battle, pulling down 43 boards to just 39 for the Blue Jays, with the Owls taking a 15-9 advantage on the offensive glass. After a .257 first half, WWU rebounded to a .370 pace in the second for a final accuracy mark of .306, but Westminster finished the contest with a .353 mark including a .400 clip from distance. Westminster also had the edge from the charity stripe, hitting eight of 14 attempts to just 1-of-5 shooting from WWU.

The Owls return to conference play on Thursday night, welcoming Harris-Stowe State University to Anderson Arena. The game is part of the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers weekend. WWU will be taking donations at the gate to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Just in from DHS Athletic Director Chuck Powers - this week's wrestling matches against New Madrid County Central, scheduled for tonight at home, and Thursday's match against Jackson on the road have both been cancelled.

Powers noted that plans have not yet been made to reschedule the two matches.

ShowMe Scoreboard, 1.24.2012

Games played Monday, Jan 23, 2012

 

High School Boys

Stoddard County Tournament

• Dexter 90, Bell City 47
• Bernie 70, Woodland 23
• JV – Dexter 44, Woodland 38 

High School Girls

• Dexter 84,  Perryvile 27
• Chaffee 59, Puxico 14
• Kelly 75, South Pemiscot 27
• Cape Central 64, Charleston 61
• St. Vincent 41, Grandview 12
• Festus 51. Saxony Lutheran 43 OT

College Men

• Kansas 64, Texas A&M 54
• Syracuse 60, Cincinnati 53

College Women

• Westminster 52, William Woods 42
• Quachuta Baptist 89, Henderson State 57
• Notre Dame 72, Tennessee 44
• Miami (Fla) 79, Virginia Tech 48
• Purdue 67, Michigan State 49

 

 

 

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The top-seeded, host Dexter Bearcats faced off against the No. 8 Bell City Cubs in the nightcap of Day 1 at the 2012 Stoddard County Tournament. The Cubs were able to hang with Dexter for the first quarter, but an offensive surge in the second propeled the Bearcats to a double-digit lead and a 90-47 victory.

Shane Hughes rejected Dexter's first shot of the contest, but a steal from Cody Neldon led to a bucket for Jake Lee and a four-point run for the 'Cats. Brad Potts knocked down a three for the 'Cats, but was quickly answered by Jerad Yates. Aaron Smith hit a trey on the Cubs' next possession. Yates tacked on another three a minute later, but this time D.J. Dowdy responded for the 'Cats. Dexter held on to a 20-14 lead after the opening frame.

Neldon and Chase Young knocked down back-to-back threes for the 'Cats to open the second quarter. Miller came up with a steal and missed a 12-footer, but Jake Lee was there for a stickback to give the 'Cats a 14 point lead at the 5:40 mark. Young hit another trey late in the frame to send the 'Cats in the locker room with a 45-26 advantage at halftime.

McKenzie Vires compelted a three point play for the Cubs to open the second half, but Bell City never pulled within 16 for the rest of the third. Miller put up 10 points in the third, while Lee continually pulled down defensive rebounds to give the 'Cats a commanding 74-39 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Miller knocked down another three at the 5:00 mark to give the 'Cats a 40 point lead. Jordan Fitts chippped in a trey on the next possession, while a pair of free throws from Matt Ridlen in the closing seconds of the contest put the final score at 90-47 in Dexter's favor.

The 'Cats had four players in double figures in the blowout win; Miller and Lee led the way with 21 and 20 respective points, while Potts added 15 and Young put in 11 points.

Yates and Vires led the Cubs with 17 and 11 points.

Dexter will move on to face the winner of the No. 4/No. 5 contest between Bloomfield and Puxico; the Bearcats sport regular-season wins over both teams.

Tip is set for 8:30 p.m. on Thursday (Jan. 26) night.

Editor's Note: The Bearcats have seemed to put their early-season struggles at the free throw line out of their minds for the time being. The 'Cats have shown steady improvment over the last few games, including tonight's 10-of-14 effort from the stripe.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The 2012 SCAA Tournament is set to tip off tonight from the Bearcat Event Center.

There are only three games on the schedule tonight; in JV action, No. 4 Woodland and No. 5 Dexter open the tournament at 4:30 p.m.

Two Varsity games are on, with No. 3 Bernie taking on No. 6 Woodland at 6:00 p.m., and top-seeded Dexter taking on No. 8 Bell City at 7:30.