Statesmen Defense Stymies Yellowjackets in Rout for 25th W
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Lamoni—The Statesmen women’s basketball team hit the road to take on the Graceland Yellowjackets in Heart of America Athletic Conference action on Saturday. The ladies came into the match up riding a seven-game winning streak and sitting atop the Heart standings.
#14 William Penn (25-2, 20-2 Heart) kept the momentum going as they handled the Yellowjackets with ease, led by a stingy defense and a couple of big performances to pick up its eighth consecutive victory 71-43.
The first quarter was all Statesmen as they allowed only four first quarter points and ended the quarter on a 21-4 scoring run. Kate Ylitalo (Jr., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) had the hot hand early, sinking a trifecta of three balls to give her nine points at the end of the first.
The offense continued in the second quarter as WPU shot 62% from the field while holding its opponent to just 29%. Ylitalo poured in another nine points in the quarter giving her 18 at the end of the half as her team led 41-14.
Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) decided to join in on the fun, scoring nine points of her own in the third quarter, including the final seven for William Penn. The ladies continued to grow their lead, leading by as many as 34 and carried a 57-25 lead heading into the final period.
The Statesmen put the final touches on their 25th win of the season with Shamiah Oliver (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Education) scoring nine points in the final quarter.
William Penn turned the ball over just five times in the win while forcing 12. They also had the edge on the boards grabbing 42 compared to Graceland’s 39.
Three players managed to reach double-digit scoring totals led by Ylitalo with 20 points while Nwagbaraocha and Oliver had 18 points and 14 points respectively. Nwagbaraocha also had a team high nine rebounds.
Brenda Pennington (Jr., Hammond, Ind.) narrowly missed a triple-double posting nine points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Jenna Santi (Sr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) also had herself a nice game pouring in eight points while shooting 50% from the field.
“This was a great defensive performance by our team today. Our defense was awesome!” Head Coach Steve Williamson said, “Kate had a huge first half, Vashti was a force in the second, and Brenda had another great game creating for her teammates. Everyone played well for us today!”
Next Up: The Statesmen will hit the road once again traveling to Cedar Rapids to take on Mount Mercy in Heart of American Athletic Conference action with tip-off scheduled at 5:30 pm.
