Lady Statesmen Drop Opener 81-78 in OT
#0 Orielle Thomas in action against Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) Friday night
Oskaloosa–If Friday night’s season opener was any indication of what type of women’s cager campaign this might be, fans should expect a lot of excitement as William Penn unfortunately ended up on the bottom side of an 81-78 overtime score against Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.)
The Lady Statesmen (0-1) shot 49.2% for the game and were led by a double-double of 26 points and 11 rebounds from Orielle Thomas (Fr., Waynesville, Mo., Waynesville HS). The sophomore was 11-of-21 from the field, but was injured midway through overtime and could not return to help her team rally.
In a seesaw battle that featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes, the home squad had an opportunity to win at the close of regulation, but never got a shot off.
The extra period was not kind to William Penn, falling behind by as much as five points before clawing back to a two-point deficit at 77-75 with 29 seconds left on a jumper by Sam Abens (So., Knoxville, Southwest Minnesota State). The navy and gold would get no closer, however, with its final points coming on a layup from Susan Smith (Jr., Eugene, Ore., Lane CC) with less than one tick left.
The hosts outshot Hannibal-LaGrange (1-1) in overtime 42.9%-16.7%, but it did not affect the visitors who scored seven of their ten points at the charity stripe. The Trojans took advantage of William Penn’s aggressive defense (24 fouls) all night to finish 21-of-28 at the line, while the Lady Statesmen were just 8-of-11.
Friday was the debut of several Lady Statesmen players with three newcomers joining Thomas in double figures. Morgan Evans (Jr., Creston, Southwestern CC) had 14 points on a team-best 6-of-9 shooting, while Abens added 13 points and Katie Golomski (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Pius Xi HS managed 11 in her first collegiate contest.
Smith posted eight points, while Sarah Martin (Jr., Anthem, Ariz., Boulder Creek HS) dished out a game-best nine assists. Abens had four thefts to pace William Penn.
The Lady Statesmen nearly overcame 27 turnovers that resulted in 26 Trojan points. The home team outrebounded Hannibal-LaGrange 38-37.
“Even though we did not win, I thought this was a really good first game for us,” Lady Statesmen Head Coach Brian Spielbauer said. “We have a very young and new team that will learn a lot from this game. I am very proud of our effort and excited for this season.”
The program’s all-time leading scorer Christa Subbert (2,155 points) was honored before the game with previous record-holder Becky Inman-Miller presenting her with a game ball.
Next: William Penn travels to Fremont, Neb., next weekend to compete in the Midland Tournament. On Friday, the Lady Statesmen play Mount Marty (S.D.) at 5:30 p.m. and then face host Midland Saturday at 3 p.m.
