Taylor Pours in 35 to Lead Eagles Over Ozarks

CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – The Williams Baptist University women's basketball team defeated the University of the Ozarks handily by the score of 89-57 on Thursday afternoon.

Carmen Taylor was the story of the game, leading all scorers with 35 points, only five shy of the WBU school record.  Taylor also tied for the team lead in rebounds with Taylor Hooten, who both had seven.  Kaylee Clark, Taylor Hooten, Charmen Taylor, and Carmen Taylor all tied for the lead in assists with three.

As a team, the Lady Eagles 50.7 percent from the field, and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.  WBU out-rebounded Ozarks 43-32, and scored 23 points off of turnovers.

The game started out as a close contest.  The Lady Eagles shot 53.3 percent from the field, but Ozarks matched that, shooting 50 percent.  The first quarter saw six lead changes. By the end of the first, Ozarks had taken a 20-19 lead over WBU.

The second quarter was a completely different story.  The Lady Eagles came out red hot and opened the quarter with a 9-0 run capped off by a Carmen Taylor layup.  Then, WBU tacked on a 15-0 run punctuated by a Carmen Taylor three-pointer to take a 46-24 lead.  The Lady Eagles out-scored Ozarks 31-9 in the second quarter to take a 50-29 lead at halftime.

WBU never wavered after that point. The Lady Eagles would tack on another 10-0 run in the third quarter capped off by a Taylor Hooten three ball to take a 68-35 lead.

This win puts the Lady Eagles back in the win column to bring the team to a 7-3 record on the year, the best start through 10 games for WBU since the 2019-20 season.

The Lady Eagles will be back in action Saturday, Dec. 30 in Arkadelphia, Ark. against Ouachita Baptist University for an exhibition matchup. Tip-off is set for 1 P.M.