By Chris Schmidbauer, Sports Information Director
Toledo, OH -- In their final home games in an Owens uniform, Whitney Thames and Shyah Wheeler each tallied double-doubles to help lead Owens to s 75-43 win over Lorain on Wednesday night.
The game would get off to a slow start offensively, with the two teams combining to shoot just 8-34 from the floor in the games opening ten minutes. Despite the slow start, Owens would still hold a double digit lead after the first period at 16-6.
The second quarter would be a higher scoring affair, with both teams reaching double digits in points for the period. Owens would add five more to their halftime total, heading to the locker room up 33-18. Whitney Thames would lead the way, scoring nine points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the game's first 20 minutes.
The halftime break cooled off the offense, as both teams would struggle from the field again. The two teams would combine to shoot just 10-42 in the third, but despite the struggles, the Express were able to outscore the Commodores by seven in the period at 16-7.
Both teams would heat up a little bit from the field again in the fourth. Shyah Wheeler would score 14 points in the period to lead the way for the Express, as Owens once again would put more distance between themselves and Lorain. Owens would outscore the visitors 26-16 in the final period of play, which saw the finishing touches on the team's 32 point victory.
Whitney Thames would have a night on the glass. The sophomore would grab a career high 23 rebounds, 13 of which came of the offensive end, in the game to go along with 17 points, which was a season high. Her previous high was 21 rebounds, which Thames tallied in last year's first round NJCAA Division III tournament game against Avery Point. The stat line also represents the fifth double-double of the season, and Thames's 13th overall in her Owens career.
Shyah Wheeler's 14 point in the final quarter would spur her on to a 20 point evening. She also grabbed 14 rebounds to add another double-double to her season total. She now has six total double-doubles this season for the Express and 14 total during her time donning the red and white of Owens.
Lilliana Velazquez would add 15 points in her final home game at Owens as well. She also had three assists in the game.
Owens shot 36.6% (30-82) from the floor during the game, but the team did take advantage at the free throw line. The Express shot 83.3% (10-12) during the contest. The Commodores shot just 23.4% (15-64) for the ballgame. They were led in scoring by Vanecia Billings, who had 13 points during the game. Owens would outscore the Commodores 40-24 in the paint and 21-6 when it came to second chance points.
The Express finish the regular season 9-13 overall and 6-3 in the conference. Lorain falls to 6-19 overall and 2-8 in the OCCAC.
Owens will now enter postseason play this weekend in the Region XII Tournament to be held in Circleville, OH. The Express will face off against Lorain again with a noon tipoff from Ohio Christian University. Should Owens win, they would play again on Sunday afternoon against Columbus State.