Statesmen Fall to Rival Grand View at Home
Oskaloosa, Iowa — The Statesmen women’s basketball team fell to rival Grand View 78-61 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Wednesday.
William Penn (7-17, 4-12 Heart) was outshot by Grand View (17-7, 14-2 Heart) by a slim 39.7%-38.8% margin and was outrebounded 35-30. The Statesmen made six of their eight free-throw attempts, while Grand View made seven of its 10.
The navy and gold scored first when Breacia Carter (Jr., South Beloit, Ill., General Accounting) found the game’s first points from the post. The Vikings responded on the next possession with a 3-pointer.
Grand View held control early and led 8-2 before Reagan Pavesi (Jr., Austin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) knocked down a 3-pointer to stop the run with six minutes left in the quarter.
The Statesmen battled back from behind before Meghanne Freehill (Jr., Lewiston, Ill., Sports Management) found her range from beyond the arc to give William Penn a 14-13 lead. The Vikings answered to take a 16-14 advantage at the end of the first quarter.
Both teams remained consistent to open the second quarter, with Grand View holding a 23-21 lead midway through the period.
The Statesmen were outpaced for the remainder of the stanza and trailed Grand View 32-26 at halftime.
The Vikings opened the scoring in the third quarter before Kayla Peoples (Sr., Waco, Texas, Nursing) connected on a jumper.
Grand View controlled the rest of the contest and took home the win.
Laney Parker (Jr., Springfield, Ill., Business Management) led the team in scoring with 13 points off the bench. Pavesi added 12 points, while Freehill finished with eight and Carter chipped in six.
Carter led her squad in rebounding with six. Pavesi and Dekota Smith (Jr., Toledo, Ohio, Computer Science) each had five apiece.
“We took steps in right the direction tonight,” Head Coach Sheawn Bedford Jr. said, “I thought we played well in the first half, but the 3rd quarter we made too many mistakes. Grand View is a great team and very well coached. They did a good job at capitalizing on our mistakes. I’m proud of our effort. The crowd was awesome tonight in Penn Gymnasium.”
Next up: The Statesmen will go on the road to face Clarke in conference play Wednesday, Feb. 11.
