Rally Falls Short Against Valor
Springfield, Mo.–A strong shooting performance was not enough to get the Statesmen women’s basketball team the victory Saturday as it fell 70-63 to Evangel in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
William Penn (3-21, 3-10 Heart) held a 53.1%-43.9% advantage from the field, but unfortunately that was nullified by a 42-27 deficit in rebounding (19-3 offensive). The offensive edge led the Valor (12-11, 8-5 Heart) to a 16-2 edge in second-chance points.
The visitors looked good early, largely due to a dominant effort from Morgan Terry (Jr., Cornersville, Tenn., Biology). The junior was on fire, making her first five shots as the Statesmen pulled out to a 15-10 lead. She unfortunately got in foul trouble and missed much of the second quarter.
EU responded with five straight to tie the game at 15-15 after one quarter, and then added seven more unanswered points.
Terry returned to the hardwood right before halftime and added another bucket as the navy and gold went into the break behind 34-29.
The hosts stayed in control, leading by as many as 10 points in the third quarter, but a 7-0 run, starting with an Ally Stewart (Jr., Victoria, Australia, Physical Education) three-pointer, trimmed the margin to two at 48-46 with 8:37 still left on the clock. All 11 of Stewart’s shots came from behind the arc and she was quite efficient, connecting on six for 18 points. Overall, the navy and gold were 8-for-22 from the perimeter (36.4%).
The Valor kept WPU at bay over the next few minutes, but Journie Augmon (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Human Services) finally got the visitors back to even at 56-56 on a layup with 5:57 to go.
William Penn could never get over the hump, however, as Evangel then scored nine in a row. In a game of streaks, the Statesmen had the last one at 5-0, but it was not enough to make up the difference as the Valor held on for the victory.
Terry limited her fouls in the second half, but she was also limited in her shot attempts. When the junior did get her chances, she was literally unstoppable as she finished 9-for-9 from the field. Her lone miss was at the free-throw line, ending the contest with a game-best 19 points.
Augmon, who was also perfect from the floor (3-for-3), and Zantasia White (Jr., Lubbock, Texas, Secondary Education) added seven points each; White was WPU’s best rebounder as well with five. She and Stewart both stole three passes Saturday.
Alexis True (Fr., Frankfort, Ky., Exercise Science) and Amanee Clark (So., Waterloo, Iowa, Human Services) guided the distribution column with four assists apiece.
William Penn committed just two more turnovers than its foe (15-13), but were not as advantageous with its extra opportunities, getting outscored 14-6 in points off mistakes.
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Wednesday, hosting Mount Mercy in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.
