Statesmen Slip Past Graceland 75-74
The William Penn Lady Statesmen got past Graceland to keep their 5th place standing in the Heart of America conference.
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team did just enough to claim a 75-74 Heart of America Athletic Conference win over Graceland Saturday.
The Statesmen (9-5, 7-3 Heart) avoided the upset loss to stay comfortably in fifth place in the league, just two games out of first and two games ahead of sixth place.
WPU was down 17-15 after the opening quarter and continued to trail 38-37 at halftime. The Yellowjackets (2-11, 2-8 Heart) recorded the first six points of the third period, but the hosts battled back and closed that stanza with nine straight to lead 61-53 entering the final quarter.
The edge grew to 10 points twice in the fourth, but Graceland refused to go away and closed to within one score with only 24 seconds remaining. Sarah Hansen (Jr., Kewanee, Ill., Psychology and Human Services) scored a team-high 17 points and tallied her final point by making the second free throw in a two-shot trip to extend the advantage to 75-71. Fortunately, that allowed the navy and gold to hold on despite a GU trifecta with one second left.
William Penn overcame deficits in shooting (36.4%-32.6%) and turnovers (24-21); the Statesmen did actually outscore the Yellowjackets 21-14 in points off turnovers.
WPU countered with a 62-47 rebounding margin, but came up short 13-10 in second-chance scoring.
Vashti Nwagbaraocha (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) was not her squad’s top scorer, but she led William Penn in all other departments. The sophomore finished 15 points, while also producing 14 rebounds, seven steals, five assists, and three blocks.
The Statesmen bench bettered GU’s with a 27-11 mark, led by 12 from Brynesha Mosby (So., Belleville, Ill., Biology) on 6-for-9 shooting. Asia Roper (Sr., Aurora, Colo., Psychology) also reached double figures with 10 points.
Alyssa Phillips (Sr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) played through an injury suffered Wednesday against MidAmerica Nazarene, nearly matching Nwagbaraocha’s double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.
JeAnn Hiraldo (Jr., Frisco, Texas, Industrial Technology) added six points in the win.
“The best word to describe our team is resilient,” Head Coach Willie Scott said. “They are able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed.”
“Most teams in our conference are already established and have an identity,” Scott added. “We will continue to get better and peak at the right time, and at that time we will be a very dangerous team to play. Until then, we will continue to take a win any way we can.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Dubuque Monday to face Clarke in Heart action at 5:30 p.m.
