ST. LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Sometimes it's hard to get a lead, but many would argue the toughest part about college basketball is protecting one. Missouri Baptist Women's Basketball led briefly in both the first and second quarters, but did not have enough firepower against a tough William Woods (Mo.) team in a 66-57 loss in Fulton, Mo.
Missouri Baptist (7-10, 6-8 AMC) posted the game's first field goal on a bucket from Kennedy Smith to give the team a 2-1 lead, but this was the last advantage the team held for the next 12-plus minutes.
MBU worked its way back to a lead at the 7:11 mark of the second quarter, thanks to a 6-0 Spartan run. Jerica Hawkins led the effort in the first half with six points and four rebounds.
The Owls, on the other hand, took control back quickly. William Woods put together a 10-0 answer in the next three minutes and never surrendered the lead heading into halftime. During the run, Kennedy Volkart and Julia Wells combined for all 10 points.
After shooting just over 20 percent in the first half, the Spartans looked to be locked-in for the third quarter. Hawkins led an inspired effort to put MBU back within striking distance. The senior recorded eight quick points to lead her team to a 14-6 run.
As the third quarter concluded, however, turnovers and rebounds plagued the Spartans. William Woods ran-off six unanswered points to end the third and entered the fourth up 50-43. During the run, MBU turned the ball over twice and allowed three offensive rebounds to the Owls, two of which came after a missed free throw opportunity on the back-end. Each of those offensive rebounds led to WWU points.
Those errors seemed to rub-off on William Woods in at the beginning of the final quarter. The Spartans posted the first six points of the fourth, assisted in large part by two Owl turnovers and three quick fouls less than three minutes in.
As the time clicked down, however, the Owls found an answer for the Spartan attack. The team from Fulton put together a 10-2 push heading down to the 2:00 mark.
With just 1:26 remaining, after Morgan Settle drained two key free throws, the Spartans trailed by just five as William Woods Head Coach Dan Chapla called timeout. Kendra Vernatti missed a bucket after play resumed, which allowed Angela Talley to knock down a shot in the paint to cut the deficit to three. This was, however, as close as MBU got.
After shooting just above 20 percent from the floor in the first half, the Spartans shot 37.5 percent for the game, a substantial improvement. MBU led in steals and turnovers in the game and shot an impressive 78.9 percent from the free throw line.
Hawkins led the team from St. Louis with 20 points and six rebounds on the night. Smith followed with 15 points of her own as Settle rounded-out players in double figures with 10.
Volkart led the Owls with 16 points and eight rebounds. April Gebke was also solid. The junior from Bartelso, Ill., posted 11 points and seven rebounds.
Missouri Baptist will return home on Saturday to face the Lady Lynx of Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.). The two teams' last meeting was a thriller in Belleville, Ill., as LU pulled-out a 77-76 win in overtime. Tip-off this Saturday is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Carl and Deloris Petty Sports and Recreation Complex.
