St. Louis, Mo. - The University of the Ozarks women's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season in impressive fashion Friday night topping Webster University 78-66 on the road and Abby Beene surpassed the 1,000 career point plateau.
Webster is the reigning SLIAC Champions and made the NCAA III National Tournament a year ago. The Eagles overcame a two-point first-quarter deficit with a dominant second quarter, outscoring the Gorloks 15-6 to take a 34-27 halftime lead. Ozarks continued to build its advantage in the third quarter, scoring 23 points to maintain control heading into the final period.
Abby Beene led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 10-of-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range. She also added four rebounds and a block.
Kennedi Wight contributed 14 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Amarys Cuellar added 11 points while shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line. Addison Pontiff provided a strong effort off the bench with nine points and six rebounds. Emma Thomson also grabbed six rebounds, while Lila Hartness finished with five points and five rebounds.
Ozarks shot 43.8 percent from the field and 38.9 percent from beyond the arc. The Eagles also converted 15-of-21 free throws and scored 38 points in the paint. Their defensive pressure helped generate 23 points off turnovers.
The Eagles' stifling defense limited the Gorlocks to 35.9 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from three-point range.
The Eagles will face Wittenberg University in the finals of the Tip-Off Classic Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
