WPU Falls in Final Clarke Classic Contest
Dubuque, Iowa–The William Penn women’s basketball team continued its season Saturday, concluding the Clarke Classic with a 97-52 loss to #13 Dakota State. The loss drops the Statesmen to 0-2 on the year.
The Statesmen would start off on a strong note, scoring the first two baskets of the game, courtesy of Ally Stewart (Jr., Victoria, Australia) and Alexis True (Jr., Frankfort, Ky., Exercise Science). Journie Augmon (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Human Services) would also sink a free throw to extend the lead to six. Turnovers would be the Achilles Heel for the Statesmen unfortunatley as they committed 11 in the first quarter. The navy and gold would also only shoot 39.6% from the field, but were down just eight at the end of the first quarter.
WPU then looked to its bench play early as playing back-to-back games is a tough feat. Unfortunately for the Statesmen, DSU extend its advantage to 18 only a few minutes into the second period. The Statesmen and the Trojans would trade buckets for the rest of the quarter before Dakota State would pull away heading into halftime leading by 23. Augmon would lead the Statesmen in scoring with seven points heading into the break.
True would begin to catch fire as she went 3-for-4 from behind the arc in the third quarter, but it was not enough to help decrease the Trojan lead. True, Stewart, and Averie Benson (Sr., Amarillo, Texas, Education) would be the only Statesmen to score as the Statesmen trailed 70-40 heading into the final quarter.
The Statesmen would not be able to match the Trojans in the fourth quarter with just 12 points. At game’s end, True and Stewart would lead the scoring for William Penn as they both tallied 11 points and both collected three rebounds apiece. The Statesmen shot 39.6% as a team compared to 55.9% from the Trojans. Augmon led the team in rebounds with four.
What’s Next: The Statesmen will take a quick break for a few days as they gear up for the Grand View Classic, hosted on November 5, where they will take on Ozarks (Mo.).
