First-Half Lead Erased as William Penn Defeated by Sterling
Omaha, Neb.–Laney Parker (Sr., Springfield, Ill., Business Management) scored 20 points and the Statesmen women’s basketball team was hot in the early going, but unfortunately could not maintain its play for the entire afternoon as it fell 76-57 to Sterling (Kan.) in the Omaha Hardwood Classic hosted by College of Saint Mary Saturday.
William Penn (0-4) lost the shooting battle 47.7%-37.5% and came up short in rebounding 43-33, but led after one quarter of play for the first time all season.
Of special interest, the Statesmen have bettered their final point total in each game so far this season.
The navy and gold hit seven of their 16 first-quarter field goals Saturday, jumping out to a 17-13 advantage. The squad was down 8-2 out of the gate, and still behind at 11-7, but posted a 10-2 run to enter the second period on top.
WPU pushed its edge to six at 31-25 before the Warriors unfortunately caught fire over the last three-plus minutes to lead 39-31 at halftime.
SC (3-0) then put the game out of reach in the third stanza. William Penn did fight for all 40 minutes, though, including scoring 19 points in the fourth.
Parker knocked down four three-pointers en route to leading all players with 20 points.
Reagan Pavesi (Sr., Austin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) stuffed the stat sheet, posting 11 points, six steals, five rebounds, three rebounds, and one blocked shot.
Aliya Wagamon (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Psychology) was next with eight points, while the duo of Chudear Mach (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, Kinesiology) and Amaya Terrell (Sr., Maquoketa, Iowa, Sociology) each finished with seven points.
Justice Leon (Jr., Piarco, Trinidad & Tobago, Sociology) led her crew on the glass eight rebounds.
The Statesmen committed one more turnover than Sterling at 18-17, which resulted in a 23-16 deficit in points off mistakes. Despite ending up with 10 fewer rebounds, WPU was only outscored 14-11 in second-chance points.
William Penn was solid at the free-throw line with a 9-for-13 effort.
Next Up: William Penn travels to Yankton, S.D. next Tuesday to face Mount Marty in non-conference play at 5:30 p.m.
