William Penn Athletics News February 5
William Penn's Ryan Wilson comes down with the rebound versus Viterbo
Penn Men Squeak Out Win to Snap Losing Streak
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen basketball team blew a huge second-half lead, but rallied late to pull out a 64-62 victory over Viterbo in Midwest Collegiate Conference play Saturday.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak by the Statesmen (12-14, 4-9 MCC), who also won for the first time at home since December 4, also a span of four-straight losses.
Penn looked in control for most of the afternoon, scoring the game’s first nine points and leading 32-22 at halftime.
The advantage remained in double figures, growing to as much as 19 points at 50-31 before Viterbo (6-20, 4-8 MCC) began to slowly claw back. With the score 58-47 in favor of the Statesmen with 4:48 left, the home team still had a comfortable cushion, but all that changed quickly with the V-Hawks scoring on nearly every possession.
The visitors eventually took the lead at 61-60 at the 1:51 mark, capping off a 30-10 run that lasted 11:02.
The squads exchanged free throws before Ryan Wilson (Sr., Ballwin, Mo., Missouri-Kansas City) connected on two free throws to pull his team ahead by one.
Wilson then stepped up on the other end of the floor as well, blocking a shot by Alex Diciaula and getting the rebound. The senior was immediately fouled by Diciaula. He proceeded to make the first free throw, but his second attempt went off-line, giving the V-Hawks one final chance to tie or win the game.
Viterbo’s Alex Rau had a look, but the shot would not drop and the ball was tipped around, finally coming down to Blake Walker (Fr., Smyrna, Ga., Campbell HS) as time expired.
Brandon Beasley (Jr., Indianapolis, Ind., Columbus State CC) was strong in the first half, scoring ten of his 13 points prior to the break, while Wilson was on the other end of the spectrum, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second stanza. He also grabbed ten rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year and first since November 18.
“Ryan Wilson is back!” Statesmen Head Coach John Henry said. “In the second half he played like he did at the start of the year and we need him to be that 15-point, 10-rebound player that he can be to get back to winning.”
As good as the duo was, Wiebe Goodyk (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa Central CC) actually topped all players with 16 points, including four three-pointers.
Walker added nine in the win, while Nick Coffey (Sr., Hinsdale, Ill., Hinsdale Central HS) finished with just five points, but had four assists and two steals (matched Goodyk for team lead). Beasley and Wilson each recorded two blocks.
Neither Alan Douglas (Jr., Champaign, Ill., Lakeland CC) (coaches decision) nor Ross Howe (Fr., State Center, West Marshall HS) (12 stitches from Iowa Wesleyan game) played in Saturday’s win.
Penn outshot Viterbo 43.9%-35.9%, but committed 20 turnovers, which led to 18 points for the visiting team. The Statesmen were better on the boards with a 43-39 advantage. The team also overcame a 10-5 deficit in three-pointers (8-4 in second half), a major factor in the V-Hawk rally.
Next: Penn remains in Oskaloosa Wednesday to host Grand View in MCC play at 7:30 p.m.
Christa Subbert of William Penn goes in for 2 more points against Viterbo's Paige Babiash
Penn Women Roll to 67-40 Win Over Viterbo
Oskaloosa–The Lady Statesmen cagers were balanced in their attack as they knocked off Viterbo 67-40 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action Saturday.
The win allowed #16 Penn (19-8, 10-3 MCC) to reach double figures in league victories for the first time since joining the MCC in 2001-2002 (previous best was nine last year).
The Lady Statesmen also remain just one-half game back of Iowa Wesleyan and St. Ambrose in the MCC standings.
Prior to the game, Christa Subbert (Sr., Stanton, Stanton HS) was recognized for joining the 2,000-point club as well as being a third-team academic all-District 7 selection from CoSIDA.
The home team was not able to follow the hoopla with a strong early showing, however, falling behind by as much as five midway through the first stanza. The team regrouped, though, and outscored the V-Hawks (9-16, 4-8 MCC) by an impressive 23-2 tally to lead 36-20 at intermission.
The contest was no contest after the break with margin staying in double figures for the rest of the afternoon.
Kim Thompson (Fr., Park Forest, Ill., Upper Iowa) played just 16 minutes off the bench, but was a major force in scoring a game-high 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
No other player joined her in double digits, but eight of her teammates managed to get on the board, led by nine points each from Subbert and Rachel Butler (Sr., Orange County, Calif., Cerritos CC).
Samantha Darley (Sr., Gilbert, Ariz., Mesa CC) and Orielle Thomas (Fr., Waynesville, Mo., Waynesville HS) added eight points each, while Jodee Seward (So., Wellman, Mid-Prairie HS) tallied seven. Sarah Martin (So., Anthem, Ariz., Boulder Creek HS) contributed six points and matched Butler and Subbert with two steals apiece.
Butler also pulled down a game-best seven rebounds as Penn owned a 29-28 advantage (12-4 edge in second-chance points). Darley dished out four assists to pace the Lady Statesmen and Subbert blocked two attempts, tying for the contest high.
Penn dominated the shooting battle, 53.8%-32.6%, and forced Viterbo into 27 mistakes, resulting in 26 points off turnovers.
Next: Penn remains in Oskaloosa Wednesday to host Grand View in MCC play at 5:30 p.m.
