The William Woods University Lady Owls basketball team shot just 27 percent in dropping its home opener to unbeaten College of the Ozarks 74-54 on Wednesday night at Anderson Arena.
William Woods - which connected on only 16-of-60 shots - had its two-game winning streak end in falling to 2-2. College of the Ozarks, ranked No. 6 in NAIA Division II, shot 44 percent (28-of-64) as a team in raising its season record to 6-0.
Sophomore guard Kaycee Gerald's basket in the paint gave the Lady Owls a 6-5 edge with 7 minutes left in the first quarter. The Lady Bobcats, though, took control by closing out the period with a 16-1 run to open up a 21-7 advantage.
College of the Ozarks then outscored William Woods 21-15 in the second quarter and carried a 42-22 lead into halftime. The Lady Bobcats extended their advantage to 62-35 by outscoring the Lady Owls 20-13 in the third quarter.
Sophomore guard Peyton Greenlee finished with 15 points to lead William Woods. Gerald was just 2-of-11 from the field but converted 9-of-10 free throws to supply 13 points. The Lady Owls shot 86 percent (18-of-21) from the foul line.
Gerald also grabbed a team-high six rebounds as William Woods was outrebounded 44-37.
Shelby Roberts - hitting 9-of-12 shots, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range - logged a game-high 22 points to steer three players in double figures for College of the Ozarks. Cassidy Johnson knocked down four of the Lady Bobcats' 12 3-pointers to add 16 points, while Lakin Simmerman contributed 14.
The Lady Owls travel to Graceland (Iowa) University at 2 p.m. Saturday.