Second Quarter Leads to Domination Over PSC
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team outscored Peru State by 24 points in the second period alone as it rolled to a 78-40 Heart of America Athletic Conference win Saturday.
Already leading by seven after 10 minutes of action, the 20th-ranked Statesmen (9-1, 6-1 Heart) piled it on the Bobcats (1-9, 0-6 Heart) with a 29-5 margin in the second quarter and cruised to the victory. William Penn used runs of nine and 18 straight points to blow the game wide open.
WPU shot 51.5% prior to halftime (39.4% overall), while holding Peru State to just 28.6% from the field. The victors were outrebounded 43-42, but easily made up for that by outscoring the Bobcats 29-4 in points off turnovers. The hosts committed just five mistakes, while forcing PSC in 23 errors.
Ten different Statesmen put points on the board, led by a game-high 19 from Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science). The senior was 6-for-9 from the field, 7-for-8 from the free-throw line, pulled down five rebounds, and blocked two shots.
Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) was next with 16 points, while Makenzie Pezley (So., Keokuk, Iowa, Elementary Education) knocked down three three-pointers en route to 11 points. Brenda Pennington (Jr., Hammond, Ind., Psychology) joined the double-digit club as well with 10 points.
Shamiah Oliver (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Education) guided the bench with eight points, and Jenna Santi (Sr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) dished out four assists.
“I am very happy with our defensive effort today, and even more pleased with the contributions we received from our bench players,” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “I thought Shamiah Oliver, Niaja Taylor, Sham Troupe, and Autumn Voigt all gave us great minutes. This was a great game all-around.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Baldwin City, Kan. next Tuesday to face #23 Baker in Heart action at 5:30 p.m.
