Lady Statesmen Lose Despite Strong Downtown Performance
William Penn Women’s Athletics
St. Paul, Minn.–The William Penn women’s basketball team connected on what would have been a school-record 15 three-pointers, but still fell 76-73 to NCAA Division II Northern State (S.D.) in an exhibition game at the Radisson Roseville Thanksgiving Classic Saturday.
The Lady Statesmen, paced by nine trifectas, held a 41-40 halftime advantage. The navy and gold pulled out to seven-point edge at 51-44 with 14:57 remaining, but the Wolves (4-0) stayed undefeated with a big rally. Northern State finally took the lead at the 8:10 mark and then went up by as much as eight.
William Penn stayed close, though, narrowing the deficit to only one point at 74-73 with 32 seconds. The Wolves missed on the front end of a 1-and-1, giving the Lady Statesmen a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, Katie Golomski (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Psychology) lost possession with 12 ticks left. Two NSU free throws were made on the other end to make it a three-point game.
Golomski tried to tie the contest at the buzzer, but her three-pointer did not fall.
For the second game in a row, Janay Pritchett (So., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology) led her squad in scoring with 15 points. Golomski added 12 points (four three-pointers), while Orielle Thomas (Sr., Waynesville, Mo., Physical Education) tallied a double-double of ten points and ten rebounds. Thomas also stole five passes and blocked two shots.
Megan Evangelista (Jr., Chanhassen, Minn., Biology) and Brittany May (Jr., Gladstone, Ore., Biology) both managed nine points, while Sarah Martin (Sr., Anthem, Ariz., Physical Education) contributed seven points. Martin and Sam Abens (Jr., Knoxville, Iowa, Physical Education) both dished out four assists.
Northern State owned a 51.7%-40.9% edge in shooting, but made only four three-pointers, compared to 15 by WPU. The Lady Statesmen were outshot 12-4 at the charity stripe.
William Penn committed just 11 turnovers and forced 17 NSU mistakes, turning those into 21 points.
Next: The Lady Statesmen return to Oskaloosa Tuesday to host St. Mary (Neb.) at 6 p.m.
