Five Reach Double Digits in Victory Over #23 Baker
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The #20 ranked Statesmen women’s basketball team faced off with #23 Baker in Heart of America Athletic Conference action on Tuesday in its final game before the holiday break.
William Penn (10-1, 7-1 Heart) was actually outshot by the host Wildcats (10-3, 5-3 Heart) 44%-43% but the big difference came from three-point territory. The navy and gold lit it up from beyond the arc shooting 52% including going 8-11 (73%) in the second half en route to an 86-68 victory.
The ladies got off to a bit of a slow start trailing by as many as eight in the first quarter but by middle of the of the second quarter found themselves up nine and controlled much of the game from there and opened as large as a 25 point lead in the fourth.
The offensive outburst was due in large part to five Statesmen finishing in double-figures. Kate Ylitalo (Jr., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) led the team with 24 points while going 5-11 from three-point range. Brenda Pennington (Jr., Hammond, Ind., Psychology) narrowly missed a triple-double posting 14 points, eight assists, and seven boards, while Makenzie Pezley (So., Keokuk, Iowa, Elementary Education) also chipped in 14 points. Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) produced her fourth double-double of the season adding 13 points and grabbing a season-high 14 rebounds and Jenna Santi (Sr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) went 4-5 from three-point land racking up 13 points and five assists.
Defensively, Nwagbaraocha blocked four shots and Pennington had three steals while forcing the Wildcats to commit 19 turnovers.
“This was a great team win, we got off to a slow start but battled back and found our rhythm,” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “Brenda did a great job finding people and our shooters knocked down shots. Vashti was awesome on the boards and it was just a great way to start Christmas break.”
Next Up: William Penn will return to action Dec. 28 as they take on Judson in Elgin, Ill. at 5:30 PM.
