FULTON, Mo. – This afternoon the Harris-Stowe State University women's basketball team was back in action when they traveled to Fulton, Missouri, to take on the William Woods (Mo.) University Owls in their first AMC matchup of the season. The Hornets picked up their first win of the season as they defeated the Owls by a final score of 64-60 to improve to 1-3 on the season and 1-0 in the American Midwest Conference. With the loss, William Woods falls to 1-2 on the year and 1-2 in the AMC. Today's win marks the first career win for Interim Head Coach Brittany Lawson.
The Hornets got off to a good start in this one as they jumped out to an early 11-5 lead in the first five minutes of the game. They continued to play well as the quarter progressed and held a 17-12 lead heading into the second. They opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 23-12, but the Owls bounced back and cut the Hornets lead to 26-25 midway through the frame. However, Harris-Stowe would end the half on a 6-2 run and take a 32-27 lead into the locker room.
The Owls bounced back to start the third quarter as they went on a 9-0 run to start the half to take a 36-32 lead. They were able to push their lead to as many as six midway through the quarter, but the Hornets battled back and were able to tie the score at 48 heading into the final frame. The game went back-and-forth over the first few minutes of the fourth, but with the Hornets trailing 53-51 they were able to go on an 8-0 run to take a 59-53 lead late in the contest. The Owls did their best to get back into the game down the final stretch but the Hornets were able to hold them off as they solidified their first win of the season.
The Hornets played well in this one as they went 22-for-56 (39.3%) from the floor and 7-for-15 (46.7%) from behind the arc. They held the Owls to just 19-of-55 (34.5%) from the floor while forcing 19 turnovers.
Taia Smith (JR/Grand Rapids, Mich.) led the way for the Hornets as she finished with a team high 15 points and a team high nine rebounds. In addition to Smith, Kambri Davison (SR/Tulsa, Okla.) and Ronne'zje Elliot (JR/Louisville, Ky.) both finished with 13 points while Surina Finnie (JR/Memphis, Tenn.) finished with 11 points and a team high four assists to round out the top performers for the Hornets.
The Hornets will return to the court on Tuesday, January 12th when they play host to the Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) University Trojans in an AMC matchup. The game is set to tip-off at 5:30 p.m. in the Emerson Performance Center. No spectators will be allowed at the game but live video and stats will be provided.
