Lady Statesmen Thwart V-Hawk Rally
The William Penn Lady Statesmen survived a second half charge by Viterbo to claim another conference victory.
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team seemed to have Wednesday night’s contest against Viterbo well in hand, but a big run by the visitors forced the navy and gold to make a late stand to claim a 71-65 Midwest Collegiate Conference win.
The Lady Statesmen (12-7, 3-1 MCC), who have now won three in a row for the third time this year, led by 22 points at 57-35 with 13:08 left in regulation.
Unfortunately, the V-Hawks (7-13, 2-2 MCC) found a groove and outscored their hosts 30-10 over the next 11-plus minutes to pull within two points at the 1:54 mark.
Neither squad was able to add to its tally over the next 83 seconds with Sarah Martin (Sr., Anthem, Ariz., Physical Education) finally giving William Penn a four-point edge on a layup with 30 ticks left. Martin, who needed heating pads on the bench to help with leg issues, guided the Lady Statesmen with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting (5-of-7 FT).
Sam Abens (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education) then made a huge play on the defensive end, stepping in front of a Viterbo pass. Orielle Thomas (Sr., Waynesville, Mo., Physical Education) came up with the loose ball and was immediately fouled.
She sealed the victory with a pair of charity stripe tosses, concluding a perfect night of shooting. The senior was 4-of-4 from the floor and 8-of-8 at the line for 16 points. She paced her team in rebounds (8) and assists (4) as well.
William Penn was hot in the first half, shooting 55.2%, but cooled off to 40.9% in the second stanza. The victors still finished with a 49.0%-45.6% margin over Viterbo. Viterbo was forced into 21 turnovers, good for 23 Lady Statesmen points.
The hosts overcame a 36-25 rebounding deficit by countering with an 18-7 edge in made free throws (WPU was 18-of-21 overall).
Katie Golomski (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Psychology) connected on a pair of three-pointers en route to ten points, while Janay Pritchett (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology) managed seven points off the bench. Abens and Morgan Evans (Sr., Creston, Iowa, Industrial Technology) both contributed six points, while Abens also stole three passes.
“Sarah had a really gutsy effort and when we needed a basket, she did what seniors do and came up with one,” Head Coach Mike Brown said. “Orielle was really sharp in the first half and was again extremely effective. Sam’s steal at the end was also huge.”
“We still need to learn how to finish games,” Brown added. “We will continue to get better and we will need to as we have a good test against Mount Mercy Saturday.”
Next: William Penn travels to Cedar Rapids Saturday to face Mount Mercy in MCC play at 1 p.m.
