FULTON - The William Woods University Owls guaranteed themselves a host's position in the AMC Tournament with a 66-44 win over Stephens College on Thursday night. Sharron Andrews (Oakland/Hayward, Calif.) led the Owls with 13 points on the night, while Destani Stensrud (Exeter, Mo.) added 10 in the victory.

Dexter, Mo., native Ashlee Taylor didn't contribute much to the final score, but she had a great defensive effort in 15 minutes on the court. The junior finished the game with 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 block, and 1 steal.

Both teams struggled to open the game, with neither team able to find the range for the first several minutes. WWU opened the scoring with a single free throw, eventually opening a 13-5 lead with 10:24 to go in the half.

The Owls would take a 27-17 lead into the locker room at halftime, having mustered a .346 shooting pace in the first while holding Stephens to just .250 from the floor.

The game opened up in the second half, as William Woods found its shooting touch - going .560 from the floor for the period - and pulled away, leading 36-21 with 16:07 left in the game.

Stephens was able to close slightly, but never within fewer than three possessions down the stretch.

The Owls were outrebounded on the night by a 28-33 margin, but largely due to limiting Stephens to just 42 shots from the floor. Olivia Storjohann (Eldridge, Iowa) and Jordan Floyd (Highland Ranch, Colo.) finished just shy of the double-digit threshold on the night, with each racking nine points. Miranda Loesch (Lohman, Mo.) led the WWU rebounding charge with seven. Sam Stirmlinger led Stephens with 10 points on the night, with Megan Sheffield pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.

William Woods will close out its regular season slate on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Missouri Baptist. The game, part of Courtwarming week, will also feature a recognition of the Owls' five seniors prior to tipoff.