Statesmen Give Bedford First Coaching Win in Thumping of Baker
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team won for the first time in over a month as it took care of Baker 66-49 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Monday.
The outcome not only snapped a seven-game skid for the Statesmen (3-15, 2-12 Heart), but also gave Interim Head Coach Sheawn Bedford his first victory.
The hosts have struggled to find early-game traction this season, but saw how the other half live as they bolted out to a 10-0 lead just 4:10 into the afternoon. The advantage grew to 12 before the Wildcats (3-14, 2-13 Heart) slowly chipped away and made it 16-9 after one quarter of action.
WPU’s second stanza was its worst as BU eventually caught up to the navy and gold at 24-24. Fortunately, William Penn, which never trailed Monday, closed on a 5-0 run to go up 29-24 at halftime.
The contest continued to be a toss-up until the latter parts of the third period. It was then that a pair of three-pointers by Aysia Arrowood (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Sports Management) sandwiched another trifecta by Mariah Baltierra (Sr., Norcross, Ga., Sports Management) as the Statesmen maintained a double-digit margin the rest of the way.
The Statesmen did it on both ends, hitting 44.4% overall, while restricting Baker to a 23.7% clip. WPU found its collective stroke from behind the perimeter by going 8-for-18 (44.4%), but did battle through struggles at the free-throw line (18-for-31, 58.1%).
Carley West (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn., Human Services) topped her crew with 18 points, including going 8-for-12 at the stripe. The junior also notched three assists and three blocks.
Arrowood was right behind her with a monstrous double-double of 17 points (four three-pointers) and 14 rebounds. William Penn was actually outrebounded 39-37, including a 17-7 deficit on the offensive glass. The victors were able to overcome being outscored 24-10 in second-chance points.
Shelby Clark (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Wellness and Recreation) joined the double-double club with 12 points, while Baltierra contributed nine points in the win. Lacy Whitcomb (Sr., Overland Park, Kan., Psychology) headed the non-starters with an additional five points along with three steals.
The Statesmen committed 15 turnovers to 16 by BU, but were much more advantageous with an 18-10 edge in points off mistakes.
“This was a great team win,” Interim Head Coach Sheawn Bedford said. “I am extremely proud of every person in our program. We had several young ladies step up for us, including Aysia Arrowood who played her best game as a Statesmen. I thought she set the tone for us defensively, along with making shots. I have never been more proud of a group after a win.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Wednesday to host Missouri Valley in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.
