LIBERTY, Mo. - The William Jewell women's basketball team will open the 2022 portion of their season on Sunday afternoon with a tough test as they travel to No. 2 Drury University to open a stretch of four games in seven days. The Cardinals return home on Tuesday to host Rockhurst.   

ADMISSION 🎟
🟢 Spectators are permitted. 

BROADCAST 🎥 
• vs. Drury
• vs. Rockhurst 

LIVE STATS 📊
• vs. Drury
• vs. Rockhurst

CARDINAL NOTES

• William Jewell opens 2022 with a tough week, traveling to No. 2 Drury before hosting Rockhurst, Maryville and Quincy, all over a span of seven days. 
• The 2021-2022 Cardinals are one of, if not, the youngest in Jill Slominski's 26 seasons at the helm. Jewell has 10 newcomers this winter, including seven freshmen. The youngsters are getting a baptism by fire as six of the seven rookies have appeared in at least seven games. Newcomers are accounting for 57% of the offense, and 63% of minutes played, including 38% played by true freshmen.
• Jewell has struggled at times to find an offensive rhythm but continues to put forth a solid defensive effort, a hallmark of Slominski teams. The Cardinals are third in the GLVC, allowing opponents just 26.2% from the three-point line while giving up under 70 points per contest
• Libby Arnold poured in 18 points in the 2021 finale against Graceland to improve her season average to 10.1 per outing to lead the Cardinals. Kate Hillyer, who added 16 in the win over the Yellowjackets follows close behind at 9.5. 
• Lea Finn closed the opening portion of her senior season on a high note, scoring 10 points while added a career-high six assists and four steals, along with grabbing four rebounds. 
• The Cardinals have been bit hard by the injury bug this season but have benefitted from the return of guard Kierra Winkeler. The junior transfer saw her first action of the season just before the break, averaging 11 minutes with two points and 1.5 rebounds. 
• D'Asya Collier-Williams was playing her best basketball of the season prior to missing the final two games of December but is set to return this week. The junior scored a career-high 13 points to go with four assists and four rebounds in her most recent game against Missouri S&T. 
• The Cardinals are in their 49th season of varsity basketball, and chasing the 800-win mark, entering the season at 785. The program has won nine conference championships and appeared in seven national tournaments. 
• Jill Slominski entered the 2021-2022 season with 459 career wins, making her the winningest active coach in the GLVC and 21st in Division II.

 
ABOUT DRURY

• Drury enters 2022 on a roll, sitting at 12-1, winning their last eight games and holding on to the No. 2 spot in the latest WBCA National Poll. 
• The Panthers are led by all-everything guard Paige Robinson. The senior leads the GLVC in numerous categories, including scoring (22.4), steals (2.58), free throw percentage (88.2) and three-point field goals made per game (2.75). 
• In addition to Robinson, Alana Findley (13.5) and senior transfer Kaylee DaMitz (11.8) also average in double-figures for Drury with the former also leading the team with 8.4 rebounds per game. 
• As a team, the Panthers are tops in the GLVC in scoring (84.5), steals (12.8), turnovers forced (23.8), free throws (211) three-point percentage (41.4) and turnover margin (9.46). 
• Amy Eagan, the reigning Division II National Coach of the Year, is in her second season at the helm of the Drury program and coming off a national final appearance. Previously, she spent six years as the head coach at Truman State.
   

ABOUT ROCKHURST 

• Rockhurst comes into the thick of conference play as one of the most improved teams in the GLVC. The Hawks sit at 5-3 on the season after winning only eight total games a year ago. 
• Leading the way for the Hawks is fifth-year senior Daly Sullivan. The All-GLVC performer is fourth in the conference with 17.5 points per game, leading the league with 2.75 three pointers per outing. Younger sister, Keegan, is second on the team with 12.1 points per game to go with 2.9 assists and 0.9 blocks. 
• The top rebounding team in the GLVC, the Hawks average nearly 43 boards per game, led by Reagan Dodd's eight and Keegan Sullivan's 7.4. Lani Thompson and Molly Hummel also add more than six per game.  
• Larry Park is in his 13th season at the top of the Hawks women's basketball program, after serving as an assistant on the men's side from 1996-2008.