Women Just Short in Upset Bid, End Year in Heart Quarters
William Penn University Athletics
Olathe, Kan.–Moral victories do not exist in the postseason, but the William Penn women’s basketball team should have definitely walked off the court Thursday with its collective head held high after nearly upsetting #9 MidAmerica Nazarene in the quarterfinals of the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament.
The seventh-seeded Statesmen (14-17) fell 70-66, but pushed the second-seeded Pioneers (25-5) to the brink. They almost overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit, eventually closing to within two points in the final minutes. In the end, though, MNU made its free throws to hold off the navy and gold push.
The visitors played MidAmerica Nazarene close early, trailing just 17-15 after the first 10 minutes of action. Unfortunately, the home squad dominated the second period to lead 37-22 at the break.
The margin grew to 17 at 43-26 early in the third quarter before WPU began to slowly chip away. Still down 57-45 with 7:53 to play, the Statesmen scored six straight as things started to get interesting. The Pioneers responded to keep William Penn at bay, momentarily.
William Penn never gave up, however, going punch-for-punch with its foe down the stretch. In the last two minutes of play, Kadejah Young (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn., Physical Education) hit both a three-pointer and a two-point bucket, while Alyssa Phillips (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) added a pair of free throws and a basket. The Statesmen unfortunately never got over the hump, but gave the Pioneers a major scare.
The visitors were outshot 47.1%-34.8% and outrebounded 42-38. Despite losing the overall battle of the glass, the navy and gold were excellent on the offensive end with 15 rebounds. Those extra opps were not wasted as WPU outscored MNU 17-2 in second-chance points.
Phillips led all players with 24 points, headlined by a 10-for-11 effort at the charity stripe. Young ended her collegiate career with 15 points and six assists, while fellow seniors Destiny Spinner (Sr., Saginaw, Mich., Biology) and Ashlee Harper (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Exercise Science) tallied eight points each in their career finales.
Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) only accounted for three points, but was productive in other ways with eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
William Penn also kept the battle tight with a slightly better showing at the line, 76.0%-70.4%.
“I am proud to be the head coach for such a great group of young ladies,” Head Coach Willie Scott said. “We went through a lot of adversity this season, but fought through and stuck together until the end. This team showed a lot of character and heart. They did not give up and I am so happy for them. The seniors left it all on the floor tonight.”
