Nwagbaraocha’s Double-Double Ignites Second-Half Comeback
Vashti Nwagbaraocha lead the Statesmen with a Double-Double against Grand View.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s basketball team was tested yet again with a tough Grand View team that came into the season receiving votes in the national poll.
William Penn (7-0, 4-0 Heart) rose to the occasion and passed the test by outshooting the Vikings (2-3, 1-2 Heart) 33%-29% and holding the visitors to just 17% shooting from beyond the arc en route to a 59-41 win.
The in-state rivals are two relatively good offensive teams, each averaging nearly 80 points a contest but the game got off to a sluggish start. Both teams struggled early with turnovers with the Statesmen racking up seven but forcing eight on the defensive side. Nearly two minutes had gone by before William Penn hit their first shot, one of the three-point variety from Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology). The early three-point lead was the largest of the quarter for WPU and it fell behind by as many as four. From there, the ladies traded shots with the Vikings and found themselves only down a pair at the end of the quarter, 13-11.
The second quarter didn’t get any easier for the Statesmen on the offensive side. After a lay-up from Autumn Voigt (Jr., Clintonville, Wis.) to tie the game at 13, the ladies trailed the entire quarter and found themselves shooting only 22% at the half. Fortunately, strong defensive play and shooting struggles for the Vikings, kept William Penn in the game only trailing by four, 24-20.
WPU has established themselves as a second half team and once again proved it. The offense started to click in the third as they scored 20 points in the quarter, doubling their total output from the entire first half. Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) had a big part in that. After being held in check in the first half with three points, the senior exploded in the third with 10 points. The Statesmen led by as many as six in the stanza but settled for a four-point lead heading into the fourth, 40-36.
It took only two minutes into the final quarter for the navy and gold to open a double-digit lead and they did not look back. The defense helped clinch the win, only allowing five points to Grand View in the frame. Nwagbaraocha poured in another seven points giving her a game-high 20 on the night. She also finished with 12 rebounds to notch her third double-double on the campaign.
Aside from Nwagbaraocha, two other Statesmen had double-digit scoring nights. Brenda Pennington (Jr., Hammond, Ind., Psychology) scored 12 points and added five assists, while Ylitalo had 11 points and added seven boards.
Makenzie Pezley (So., Keokuk, Iowa, Elementary Education) posted eight points, including two shots from three-point distance and Jenna Santi (Sr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) helped out with four assists and a steal.
“We did not play well in the first half but was very proud of the effort and adjustments we made in the second half,” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “It was a completely different team in the second half, we played harder and smarter basketball. We played as a team.”
The 7-0 start for the ladies is tied for the second-best start in program history and best start since the 1980-1981 season.
Next Up: William Penn will head out on the road and take on Clarke University in Dubuque at 5:30 PM on Thursday.
