Statesmen Bow Out with Quarterfinal Loss to Pioneers
William Penn University Athletics
Olathe, Kan.–The William Penn women’s basketball team could not pull off a must-win in a 70-65 Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinal loss to #4 seed MidAmerica Nazarene Wednesday.
Unfortunately, the loss ends WPU’s 2016-2017 campaign at 18-13–possibly one more big win from earning a national tournament bid.
The fifth-seeded Statesmen started well with the first six points of the night, but in a matchup that featured five ties and nine lead changes, no advantage was safe. The Pioneers (18-12) finally got on the board and eventually led 16-15 after the first stanza. The hosts then bettered WPU by four points in the second period to go up 31-26 at intermission.
MNU was much better at the free-throw line in the first 20 minutes, outscoring William Penn 17-7 at that juncture. That battle unfortunately continued to favor the Pioneers in the second half and eventually served as the difference.
The visitors claimed one final edge at 40-37, but MidAmerica Nazarene went on an 8-0 run and never trailed again. Up 50-46 entering the final quarter, MNU pushed the margin to seven twice before the Statesmen made one last push to draw within one at 57-56 inside four minutes to go.
William Penn never recaptured the advantage, but made it a one-score game twice in the waning seconds, only to come up just short in the end.
Neither participating squad had much luck from the field in a game that was officiated quite closely as the programs combined for 57 fouls and 86 free throws. WPU was outshot 33.3%-30.5%, but really struggled at the charity stripe as it hit just 59.0% (23-for-39) of its tries (MNU was 78.7% at 37-for-47).
The Statesmen made up for their shooting gaffes by outrebounding the home team 43-32, including 18 offensive rebounds that helped them secure a 19-12 mark in second-chance points.
William Penn also committed three fewer turnovers (18-21), but did not take advantage, being on the short end of a 23-20 score in points off turnovers.
ShaVonn Watkins (Sr., Peoria, Ill., Physical Education) found her stroke in her collegiate finale, going 5-for-9 (4-for-7 3-PT) as part of a team-best 19 points. She also had two steals Wednesday.
Keshunda Williams (Fr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) joined her in double figures with 12 points off the bench. The freshman assisted on four occasions and matched Watkins with two thefts.
Asia Roper (Sr., Aurora, Colo., Psychology) just missed the mark with nine points, while Vashti Nwagbaraocha (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) added seven points and Jessica Warren (Sr., Park Forest, Ill., Physical Education) had six.
Alyssa Phillips (Sr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) was limited to only three points, but guided the navy and gold with 10 rebounds.
“This was a hard-fought battle against a good team,” Head Coach Willie Scott said. “We did a lot of things well, but free-throw shooting was the determining factor tonight.”
“I am so proud and truly love this team,” Scott added. “We went through a lot of highs and lows throughout the year. Our ladies played hard and stuck together until the very end. I truly believe we raised the bar this season, gaining respect from both teams in our conference and around the nation.”
The loss ends the collegiate careers of seniors Briana McRae (Racine, Wis., Information Technology), Phillips, Helena Rodriguez (Zion, Ill., Sociology), Roper, Warren, Watkins, and GeLina Webb (Crete, Ill., Software Engineering).
