Second Half Woes Hurt Lady Statesmen in Upset Bid
William Penn's Sarah Martin drives against Mount Mercy on Saturday
Oskaloosa–A tale of two halves it was as the William Penn women’s basketball team failed to close out #15 Mount Mercy in a 55-49 Midwest Collegiate Conference loss Saturday.
The Lady Statesmen (8-15, 6-6 MCC) led 31-22 at halftime and 36-24 at the 16:19 mark, but watched as the Mustangs (17-7, 9-3 MCC) narrowed the deficit with a strong advantage at the charity stripe. The loss snaps a season-high four-game winning streak for the navy and gold.
The matchup was still in favor of William Penn at 49-44 with 4:21 left, but the Mustangs chipped away and eventually went ahead for good on a free throw by Laura Lippert with 2:01 remaining. Mount Mercy scored the final 11 points of the game to secure the win.
Both teams shot poorly Saturday with Mount Mercy holding a mere 33.3%-31.6% edge, but the difference came at the line with the visitors going 15-of-24 and the hosts finishing just 4-of-8. A total of 25 fouls were whistled on the home team, while in comparison, 13 fouls were issued to the Mustangs.
Katie Golomski (Fr., Milwaukee, St. Pius Xi HS) had nine points at intermission, but like her team, was slowed in the second stanza, finishing with 12 points. She also tied Susan Smith (Jr., Eugene, Ore., Lane CC) with three assists.
Megan Evangelista (So., Chanhassen, Minn., Chaska HS) was terrific off the bench with 11 points in just 19 minutes. The sophomore matched Golomski with three trifectas as one of the team’s few bright spots came from the perimeter (9-of-19 3-PT).
Sarah Martin (Jr., Anthem, Ariz., Boulder Creek HS) just missed double digits with nine, while Vanessa Kieres (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Regina Dominican HS) added eight points.
Orielle Thomas (So., Waynesville, Mo., Waynesville HS), the team’s leading scorer on the season, was nearly shut down completely with just four points on 2-of-5 shooting.
The Lady Statesmen held a 42-39 margin on the boards, but actually lost the second-chance battle 9-5. Jessi Kreuser (Fr., Mendota Heights, Minn., Henry Sibley HS) topped all participants with nine rebounds.
William Penn committed 19 turnovers to 12 for Mount Mercy (14-11 MMU margin in points off mistakes).
Next: The Lady Statesmen travel to La Crosse, Wis. Wednesday to face Viterbo in MCC action at 5:30 p.m.
