GREENVILLE, Ill. -  The W women's basketball showed the effects of missing two of its starters in a 68-64 loss at Greenville University, in a key St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) bout. With both teams currently battling for a berth in the SLIAC post-season, the Owls (4-13, 3-6 SLIAC) fell two games behind the Panthers (6-13, 5-5 SLIAC) in the standings for the sixth, and final, spot at the midway point.
 
Already facing a big hurdle entering the game minus guards Fantasia Wilson (illness) and Calysia Phillips (weather), MUW head coach Eric Vaughn had to navigate keeping his team close while having his do-it-all inside player Mia Bowen missing the last half of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth with a leg injury. When Bowen went down at 4:41 of the third, The W trailed GU by a single point, 43-42. But when she finally returned at 8:45 in the fourth, her team faced a 60-51 deficit.
 
Down 35-33 at the half and 58-51 after three periods, MUW trailed by 11 points, 62-51, with 8:59 remaining in the game. But with Bowen back in the contest, the Owls were able to make a final run. Over the next seven minutes, Bowen would score 10 of her team's 13 points – Conley Langford had the other three – as the guests made t a one-possession game, 67-64, with 1:59 left to play.
 
But neither team would convert a field goal the rest of the way, as The W went 0-for-3 and had a turnover in its final four possessions. The Panthers managed just one free throw the rest of the way for the 68-64 final score.
 
Bowen finished her night with team-leading totals of 18 points and 12 rebounds. Bowen went 10-of-14 from the free throw line and made five steals. She also had five blocked shots, upping her season total to 63 in her 17 games (ranking No. 2 in the nation).
 
Jakayla Smith has a career high of 17 points, making good on 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Smith also had six steals, all in the first half. Before fouling out with 6:09 left to play.
 
Langford and Rhianna Dinkins booked 13 and 12 points, respectively, to round out the quartet of double-digit scorers for the Owls. Langford also pulled down eight rebounds and Dinkins grabbed five caroms.
 
The combination of the missing starters, a short bench, and Bowen's missing minutes, contributed to MUW being out-rebounded by a 51-38 count as a team.
 
The W will look to get back on track on Saturday (Jan. 31/12 p.m. CT) when it travels to Louisville, Kentucky, to take on Spalding University in a SLIAC matchup.