Myers Drops 30 as William Penn Loses to Mustangs

Cedar Rapids–Aliyah Myers (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Business Management) had a huge season high, but her supporting cast could do little else as the Statesmen women’s basketball team fell 87-70 to Mount Mercy in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Tuesday.

WPU (2-6, 1-3 Heart) was outshot 51.5%-43.8% and outrebounded 44-32 in a game where it trailed nearly the entire night.

Alyssa Hames (Jr., Ackley, Iowa, Psychology) tallied the first basket of the contest, but MMU (4-2, 2-1 Heart) answered with seven straight and never looked back.

The navy and gold, who were down 31-20 at the end of the first quarter, held an 18-17 edge in the second period, but were unable to draw any closer than seven points.

The second half was much of the same as William Penn failed to overcome deficits in second-chance points (21-8) and points off turnovers (21-18). The Statesmen, however, only committed one more mistake than the Mustangs, 13-12.

Myers scored a WPU campaign-best 30 points on 10-for-14 shooting, including going 3-for-4 from three-point land. She was also 7-for-9 at the free-throw line, while the visitors were 9-for-12 at the charity stripe; Mount Mercy was 15-for-22 at the line.

Alyssa Hames (Jr., Ackley, Iowa, Psychology) scored eight points and pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, while Faith Putz (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa, Business Management) and Ally Stewart (Sr., Victoria, Australia, Sports Management) both matched her with eight points.

Mercer Roberts (Sr., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wellness and Recreation) contributed six points in the setback.

“We did not show up to compete and win tonight,” Head Coach Joe McKinstry said. “This conference is a grind, and if you are not ready to play, you will get exposed and that is what happened tonight.”

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Wednesday to host Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.