William Woods University senior forward Rachel Baker responded with 18 points Thursday night to help send the No. 14 Lady Owls to a 77-60 American Midwest Conference victory over Missouri Baptist University.
Baker was one of four players to finish in double figures for William Woods, which improved to 20-1 overall and 7-0 in the AMC. The Lady Owls - who carried a 37-23 lead into halftime - also extended their winning streak to eight games.
Senior forward Jestine Gerber was next with 16 points for William Woods, which shot 56 percent (32-of-57) as a team and 63 percent (5-of-8) from 3-point range. Junior guard Sharron Andrews added 15 points and junior forward Megan Aubuchon had 14.
Baker's team-high 10 rebounds lifted the Lady Owls to a 38-32 advantage on the boards.
Megan Payton supplied a game-high 21 points to pace three players in double figures for Missouri Baptist (9-9, 4-3). Janelle Hensold and Andrea Seabaugh contributed 11 points apiece.
The Lady Spartans shot just 37 percent (23-of-63) from the field.
William Woods returns home for a first-place showdown against AMC rival Columbia College on Saturday. Tipoff is 2 p.m. at Anderson Arena. The No. 23 Lady Cougars (16-5, 7-0) - winners of seven in a row - manhandled Harris-Stowe State University 95-48 in conference play Thursday night.
Westminster basketball (W)..............98
MacMurray (Ill.) College...................45
The host Lady Blue Jays shot a torrid 66 percent in the first half while building an imposing 39-point halftime lead Wednesday night in easily picking up their school-record seventh straight win.
Westminster College made 21-of-32 shots in the opening 20 minutes and breezed into the break with a commanding 57-18 advantage. With the blowout victory, the Lady Blue Jays improved to 12-5 overall and remained in first place in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a school-best 9-0 mark.
Westminster completed a season sweep of MacMurray. The Lady Blue Jays overpowered the Lady Highlanders 83-65 on Jan. 4 in Jacksonville, Ill.
Freshman guard Leigh Ann Lutz broke out for a game-high 25 points Wednesday night to guide four players in double figures for the Lady Blue Jays, who shot 62 percent (37-of-60) for the game and committed 11 turnovers. Lutz finished 9-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Junior guard Heather Letourneau added 18 points for Westminster, while sophomore guards Kenna Cornelson and Hannah Kloster both had 13. Freshman guard Talisha Washington - a Fulton graduate - collected a game-high eight rebounds to lead the Lady Blue Jays to a 36-30 advantage on the boards.
MacMurray featured just one player in double figures, Kelsey Anderson with 11 points. The Lady Highlanders (1-13, 0-9) shot a feeble 32 percent (17-of-53) from the field and were badgered into committing 22 turnovers.
Westminster travels to Louisville, Ky., for a SLIAC contest against Spalding University at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Lady Blue Jays toppled Spalding 79-64 on Dec. 4 in Fulton.
MacMurray (Ill.) College...................66
Westminster basketball (M)..............62
The Blue Jays dropped out of first place in the SLIAC after making just 59 percent (13-of-22) of their free throws in Wednesday night's home loss.
Westminster College suffered its second straight conference setback in falling to 10-8 on the season and 7-2 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Blue Jays were coming off a 57-48 loss at Webster University on Jan. 19.
Westminster took a 34-31 lead into halftime Wednesday night, but MacMurray scrambled back to pull even at 40-40. The lead changed hands twice before the Highlanders went in front to stay with 8 minutes, 51 seconds to play.
The Blue Jays fought back from a 10-point deficit and closed the gap to three in the last :16, but MacMurray was able to hold on for the victory. The Highlanders avenged an 80-71 loss to Westminster on Jan. 4 in Jacksonville, Ill.
Junior center Kelsey Weymuth - who was 6-of-8 from the field - topped the Blue Jays with a game-high 16 points on Wednesday night. Weymuth also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds to spark Westminster to a 36-26 advantage on the boards.
Sophomore guard Skylar Tolson, who had three 3-pointers, tallied 14 points for the Blue Jays, who shot 44 percent (22-of-50) as a team and finished with 14 turnovers.
CJ McClellan and Dylan Burton responded with 14 points apiece to pace MacMurray (7-10, 6-3). The Highlanders shot 46 percent (22-of-48) from the field and committed only six turnovers.
Westminster squares off against SLIAC foe Spalding University in Louisville, Ky., at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Blue Jays turned back Spalding 68-59 on Dec. 4 in Fulton.