By Chris Schmidbauer, Sports Information Director
Toledo, OH -- After a week that saw them play in three games, the Owens Women's Basketball team capped a perfect weekend off on Sunday afternoon with a 89-49 win over visiting Clark State. Owens had beaten Columbus State on Saturday afternoon by a final of 79-61.
On Saturday, the Express had four starters finish in double figures to help stymie the visiting Cougars in their 18 point victory. The team used a 14 point swing in the second period to shift the momentum of the game, and the Express were able to hold their lead throughout the second half.
Sophomore Taylor Works, who is battling through an injury, scored 22 points, including a stellar 9-10 effort from the free throw line, to lead all players in points. She also finished with eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals in the contest. Her three marks in those categories were the team high for Owens. Shyah Wheeler scored 16 points and tied Works for the team high in rebounds with eight. She also had three blocked shots agains the Cougars as well.
Tori Kopp finished with 13 points and eight rebounds to tie Wheeler and Works. Fellow Perrysburg alum, Whitney Thames, had 12 points and seven rebounds.
As a team the Express shot 41% (25-61) from the floor. The win gave the Express their eighth win in a row. The victory also created a three way tie atop the OCCAC conference as well, with Sinclair defeating previously undefeated Lakeland on Saturday as well.
On Sunday, the Express made up a postponed game against Clark State, that was rescheduled from last weekend, on Sunday afternoon. Owens would jump out to a double digit lead in the first period, outscoring the Eagles 21-10 in the first period. The Express would follow that up with another terrific quarter, outscoring Clark State 23-11. Owens would head to halftime up by 22 points, at 44-21.
Owens would win the third quarter 23-18, and they would again outscore the Eagles by double digits 22-10.
The Express had all five starters finish in double figures. They were led in scoring on Sunday by Whitney Thames. Thames finished with 22 points, which is the second time she scored over 20 points in a game with the Express. Thames shot 7-12 from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line. She also had eight rebounds and four assists.
Moreina Moore would finish with a double-double. Moore had 21 points and 12 rebounds. Moore also tied for the team lead in steals with five. Tori Kopp would finish with a double-double as well. She would score 13 points and grab 11 caroms on the afternoon.
Shyah Wheeler had a full stat sheet against Clark State. She would finish with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and five steals. Finally, Taylor Works was the last starter in double figures with 15 points and a team high seven assists.
The 50 point victory meant that Owens has now won nine games in a row. Overall, the team is now 14-7 overall and they are 8-1 in the OCCAC. The Express are now a full game up on Lakeland, but the teams trailing the Express in the standings have some games in hand.
Owens will be on the road for the remainder of the month and the beginning of February before returning home to Owens on February 9th. The Express will play next on Wednesday against Cuyahoga. The newly minted Triceratops are 8-10 overall and 2-4 n the conference.