Iowa State Pulls Away in Second Half in Exhibition
William Penn Women’s Athletics
Ames–The Lady Statesmen cagers gave powerhouse NCAA Division I Iowa State quite a scare for most of the first half, but was eventually worn down by the Cyclones in a 98-55 exhibition loss Tuesday.
William Penn fell behind 16-4 early, but rallied to pull within one at 33-32 with 4:16 until halftime. The Cyclones surged late, though, to lead 42-34 at intermission.
The second half unfortunately belonged to Goliath as Iowa State hit 70.8% of its field goals to hold a 48.5%-35.8% final edge. The Cyclones, who committed only four fouls, did not allow the Lady Statesmen to reach the free-throw line.
One positive that did last all 40 minutes was that William Penn only gave up the ball 16 times, compared to taking possession away from its foe on 18 occasions.
Orielle Thomas (Sr., Waynesville, Mo., Physical Education) paced the visitors with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Sam Abens (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education) also reached double figures with ten points.
Katie Golomski (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Psychology) added nine points and Taylor Reed (Sr., Kalamazoo, Mich., Communication) finished with six points.
Janay Pritchett (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology) dished out three assists and Abens stole three balls.
“I could not have asked for a better first half,” Head Coach Mike Brown said. “Everyone who played tonight really helped us in a major way. We did a great job of competing with them in the first half, but they showed why they are going to be a good team in the Big 12.”
The Cyclones are headed by Bill Fennelly who was a student coach when William Penn won its lone national title in 1980-1981.
“We are really appreciative of Coach Fennelly and his staff for allowing us the opportunity to play against them in Hilton Coliseum,” Brown added. “This was a great experience for our players and something they hopefully will always remember.”
Next: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Friday to host Briar Cliff in non-conference action at 7 p.m.
