CARLINVILLE, Ill. – A little over a month ago, The W women's basketball was winless in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). But a chorus of Auld Lang Syne-plus 10 days, and the Owls (4-10, 3-3 SLIAC) won their third-consecutive league game by topping Blackburn College, 77-75, in overtime.
 
Who knew tearing a page off of the calendar could make such a difference for MUW women's basketball? The Owls' current win skein has not only elevated them from the SLIAC cellar, but vaulted the squad all the way up to a percentage tie for fourth place in the standings.
 
And while The W got a strong effort from its usual suspects – seniors Conley Langford and Mia Bowen – the biggest play of the afternoon versus the host Beavers came from freshman guard – and former New Hope High School product – Jakayla Smith. With 20 seconds left in overtime - and the score knotted at 75-75 – Smith made a steal right in front of the Blackburn bench and took it the distance for an uncontested layup that provided the margin of victory for the Owls.
 
For the diminutive Smith, who is listed at 5-foot-2 inches, it was all just a part of her big day. Smith notched her second double-double of the season by scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  She also had two assists, two steals, and – this is not a misprint – two blocked shots on her game ledger.
 
"Jakayla Smith is a straight 'dog'," MUW Head Coach Eric Vaughn said (and for those over 40, we can assure you that is a good thing in today's parlance).  For a freshman, she has very little fear. How many 5-foot-2 kids in the country are getting a double-double with rebounds?"
 
But Smith may not have even had her opportunity for the game-winning basket were it not for the contributions of the aforementioned tandem of Langford and Bowen. Langford booked game-leading totals in both points, 20, and rebounds, 14, for her sixth double-double of the season and the school-record 22nd of her Owls' career. She also chipped in three assists, three steals, and a block.
 
Meanwhile, Bowen was the third MUW player with a double-double against the Beavers with 17 points and 13 boards. It was Bowen's sixth double-double of 2025-26, as well, and her 14th-striaght game with double-figure scoring. The NCAA Division III national leader in blocked shots also added to her total versus Blackburn, with five swats, which upped her season number to 53 blocks.
 
Guard Fantasia Wilson capped a "fairy tale" road trip for The W by making an MUW single-game record nine steals against the Beavers. That came just two days after Wilson set the program's assist mark (12) in Thursday's win at Eureka College. Wilson had 10 points and six rebounds on Saturday, as well.
 
Another of the Owls' individuals to step up in the win was former West Point High School player, freshman Rhianna Dinkins.  Dinkins, who tallied eight points and six rebounds in just her second game with the team, was "arguably our MVP off the bench; huge shots and huge rebounds," Vaughn praised.
 
"Just a collective effort, Vaughn concluded. "We are finally finding a way to win.  It was definitely an ugly win, but it goes down as a 'W'."
 
The Owls will next host Principia College on Thursday, January 15 (5:30 p.m.), in a key SLIAC battle. The Panthers are tied with MUW for the No. 4 position in the conference standings.