Statesmen Defeated 77-50 at Peru State
Peru, Neb. — The William Penn women’s basketball team fell to conference foe Peru State 77-50 in its first game following the winter break Saturday night.
Despite being outshot 50% to 26.7% and outrebounded 46-16, William Penn (5-10, 2-5) stayed within striking distance through the first half before Peru State (9-6, 6-2) pulled away in the third quarter.
The Statesmen opened the scoring on the game’s first possession when Kayla Jones (Sr., Louisville, Ky., Psychology) knocked down a 3-pointer off an assist from Neva’eh Diaz-Doolin (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology). The Bobcats responded with back-to-back baskets to take their first lead. The remainder of the opening quarter was tightly contested, with William Penn holding a 17-16 advantage.
The second quarter was equally close, featuring four ties and three lead changes. Laney Parker (Jr., Springfield, Ill., Business Management) led the Statesmen in the period with five of the team’s 13 points. Peru State took a 33-30 lead into halftime.
Parker turned in a strong debut for William Penn, leading the team with 13 points while shooting 4-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
After the break, the Bobcats came out and started to run away from the Statesmen, outscoring WPU 25-11 in the quarter. The stanza finished with Peru State leading 58-41.
The final period was more of the same as Peru State extended its lead until the final whistle.
William Penn attempted two more free throws than the Bobcats but finished 10-of-16 at the line, while Peru State went a perfect 14-of-14.
The Statesmen forced 15 turnovers while committing just seven of their own, converting those into 12 points.
Kayla Peoples (Sr., Waco, Texas, Nursing) and Jones finished the day with nine points apiece. Dekota Smith (Jr., Toledo, Ohio, Computer Science) added seven, while Reagan Pavesi (Jr., Austin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) had six.
Meghanne Freehill (Jr., Lewiston, Ill., Sports Management) led WPU on the glass with four rebounds.
Freehill, Parker, Peoples, Smith, Diaz-Dooling, and Taylor Lawhorne (Sr., Amityville, N.Y., Business management) each had an assist during the contest.
“We battled hard in the first half. I thought we did a good job at matching Peru State’s physically” Head Coach Sheawn Bedford Jr. said. “Unfortunately, we made too many mistakes on both ends of the floor in the 2nd half. We will learn and grow from this game.”
Next Up: William Penn hosts Mount Mercy in Oskaloosa Wednesday in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.
