Late Charge Falls Short Against Ranked Foe
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team was a defensive juggernaut in the fourth quarter Saturday, but it was not enough to lift it past #20 Benedictine (Kan.) in 46-42 Heart of America Athletic Conference loss.
The Statesmen (13-14, 10-10 Heart) used a 12-5 margin in the final period to put quite a scare into the Ravens (24-4, 16-4 Heart), but they failed to finish off the rally.
BC controlled the opening minutes, leading 17-7 after the first period. WPU then closed to within six by halftime at 28-22, highlighted by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Kadejah Young (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Physical Education). The senior finished with six points in the setback.
The visitors pushed the advantage to double digits at 41-30 after 30 minutes of action. The squads then started the final stanza by exchanging two buckets each as Benedictine led 45-32 with 7:26 on the clock. That is when the Statesmen made their push. Over the next five-plus minutes of play, the hosts scored 10 straight points to trim the deficit to only one possession at 45-42.
Unfortunately, the Statesmen failed to capitalize on their final possessions and BC added a free throw to secure the win.
Despite ending up on the losing end, WPU actually outshot the Ravens 30.9%-29.5% and outrebounded them 48-40. Seven more turnovers (18-11) and just a 35.0% clip (7-20) at the line, though, were too much to overcome Saturday.
Alyssa Phillips (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) guided the Statesmen with 14 points in addition to three steals and two blocks, while Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) recorded a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Destiny Spinner (Sr., Saginaw, Mich., Biology) added four points and three assists as well.
“Anytime you can hold one of the top teams in the country to five points in the fourth quarter, you feel good about your chances,” Head Coach Willie Scott said. “Unfortunately, we shot too poorly from the line and had too many turnovers to knock them off. I was really satisfied with our defensive effort; our team played hard.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Fayette, Mo. next Wednesday to face #16 Central Methodist in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.
