Hot Shooting from Line, Arc Help WPU Snap Streak
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s basketball team started hot and weathered a comeback, ending its losing streak with a 72-68 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory over Clarke Monday.
William Penn (4-22, 3-19 Heart), which won for the first time since January 20, avenged a road loss to the Pride (10-16, 8-14 Heart) just two weeks ago. Narrowly outshooting CU 41.7%-41.4%, the Statesmen lost the rebounding battle 38-31, but more than made up for it with an outstanding effort from the charity stripe and the perimeter.
The navy and gold finished 9-for-18 in three-point attempts and connected on 13 of their 14 free throws.
William Penn trailed 11-10 midway through the first quarter, but caught fire and led 21-14 after 10 minutes of play. The squad then scored the initial seven points of the second period to pull out to a game-high 14-point edge before settling on a 44-32 advantage at the break.
Jaida Smith (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Business Management) was excellent in the first half, scoring 20 of her 22 total points by intermission. She was 7-for-9 from the field in the opening 20 minutes.
Clarke refused to go quietly, though, hanging around until the very end. The visitors eventually caught the Statesmen and then went on top 66-64 with 1:56 to go. Fortunately, the Statesmen, in what has been a challenging campaign, found a way to pull out a win Monday.
Carley West (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn., Human Services), who finished with 21 points, drew the Statesmen even on the following possession with a layup. After the sides combined on three consecutive empty trips, West then gave the Statesmen the lead for good on another close-ranged drop-in.
The Pride missed on their end and Willam kept its foe at bay as West and Baltierra each knocked down a pair of free throws to ice the win.
Aysia Arrowood (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Sports Management) joined West and Smith in double figures with 12 points, while the duo of Lacy Whitcomb (Sr., Overland Park, Kan., Psychology) and Emma Pitts (Fr., Carlisle, Iowa, Business Management) added five points apiece.
Mariah Baltierra (Sr., Norcross, Ga., Sports Management) dished out seven assists, and Smith recorded four steals (three for West).
WPU was also fairly clean in ball control with just 11 turnovers compared to 16 for Clarke, which resulted in an 11-8 Statesmen edge in points off turnovers.
William Penn overcame being outscored 9-0 in second-chance points.
“This was a great team win for our program,” Interim Head Coach Sheawn Bedford said. “Multiple players stepped up. Jaida Sith, Aysia Arrowood, and Mariah Baltierra got us in a good rhythm early, while Carley West was solid all around. Emma Pitts’ defense and energy was outstanding all night as well. I am really proud of the fight we showed against a tough Clarke team.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Wednesday to host Grand View in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.
