Big First Quarter, Strong Defense Leads WPU to Season-Opening Win
Oskaloosa–In a season-opening battle of two programs ranked in separate NAIA divisions, the William Penn women’s basketball team crushed Tabor 69-45 in non-conference action Tuesday.
The 25th-ranked Statesmen (1-0) handled the Bluejays (0-1), who are ranked 18th in NAIA Division II, outshooting them 49.0%-28.8%, including limiting the visitors to an 18.2% clip in the first half.
Haley Mullinnix (Jr., West Branch, Iowa, Sports Management) started the contest with a three-pointer on the first possession and TC answered with a two-pointer of its own. That was the closest the Bluejays would come as the navy and gold scored eight straight for a 10-2 edge just three minutes into the evening.
Capped by a trifecta via Kate Ylitalo (Sr., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology), William Penn went on another 9-0 run shortly thereafter and dominated the first period to the tune of a 21-6 advantage.
The Statesmen continued to play at a high level on both ends, eventually going ahead by as many as 27 points in the second quarter at 35-8 before settling for a 38-13 lead at intermission. At that juncture, WPU held a 54.2%-18.2% shooting edge with Ylitalo leading the way with nine points.
The senior wing nailed two long balls in the first half and tacked on another in the third stanza en route to tying for the team lead with 14 points.
William Penn was not as sharp after the break, being outscored 17-16 in the third and playing even at 15-15 in the fourth, but was never threatened by the defending Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season and tournament champions who were 28-4 a season ago.
While Ylitalo was doing work from the perimeter, freshman Bailey Reardon (River Falls, Wis., Elementary Education) was a force in the blocks, going 6-for-7 from the field to match her senior teammate with 14 points off the bench.
Brenda Pennington (Sr., Hammond, Ind., Psychology) and Nyachristmas Puok (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa, Biology) gave the Statesmen four cagers in double figures as each tallied 11 points. Pennington headlined the defensive effort with four steals, while Puok was a perfect shooter at 3-for-3 from the field and 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. The Statesmen missed only one charity stripe throw in 13 attempts for a 92.3% mark.
Brittany West (Jr., Shakopee, Minn., Sports Management) knocked down just one of her seven three-point tries, but found other ways to contribute Tuesday. The junior finished with seven points, but was more impactful on the glass with six rebounds. Overall, WPU claimed a 34-29 margin in rebounding.
Olivia Usher (Sr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mathematics) also dished out a team-high five assists in the win.
Both William Penn and Tabor committed 18 turnovers with the hosts recording a 13-12 advantage in points off mistakes. Despite managing five more total rebounds, the Statesmen actually came up short on the offensive glass at 14-10, leading to a 13-8 deficit in second-chance points.
“It is always great to start the year off with a win,” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “The team played hard and did a lot of nice things, but we still have a lot to work on and a lot of room to improve and get better.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Des Moines Friday to face Missouri Baptist in a neutral non-conference game at 7 p.m.
