William Woods University senior guard Kaycee Gerald broke out for a game-high 31 points and the Lady Owls held off Missouri Baptist University down the stretch for a 74-70 AMC win Saturday at Anderson Arena.
William Woods - which has won two straight and 13 of its last 14 - improved to 21-5 overall and 15-5 in the American Midwest Conference. The Lady Owls swept the season series with Missouri Baptist (10-14, 10-10).
William Woods fell behind 20-13 after one quarter Saturday, but outscored the Lady Spartans 17-11 in the second quarter to narrow the gap to 31-30 at halftime. The Lady Owls trailed 48-47 going into the fourth quarter, but took the lead for good at 61-59 on senior guard Ashleigh Frampton's basket in the paint with 4 minutes, 4 seconds to play.
William Woods converted 6-of-8 free throws in the last 1:06 to clinch the victory.
Gerald was one of three players to finish in double figures for the Lady Owls, who shot just 38 percent (29-of-77) as a team. Frampton followed with 15 points and sophomore guard Rylie Cox added 10.
Senior guard Jazlyn Drake grabbed eight rebounds to guide William Woods to a 42-37 edge on the boards.
Taylor Norris - who was 5-of-7 from 3-point range - tallied 28 points to lead Missouri Baptist, which shot 52 percent (27-of-52) from the field. Alexis Allstun provided 18 points.
The Lady Owls host Park University in an AMC contest at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday. William Woods prevailed at Park 69-63 on Jan. 7.