Statesmen Unable to Hold Off Peru State
Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team dropped another tight battle Saturday, falling 59-57 to Peru State in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
WPU (3-11, 2-8 Heart) lost the shooting battle 38.7%-33.3%, but was stronger on the glass with a 48-41 rebounding edge.
The odd-numbered quarters were good to the hosts, including the opening 10 minutes as WPU pulled out to a 20-13 lead. William Penn scored 16 of the afternoon’s first 22 points and settled on the seven-point edge courtesy of 47.4% from the floor.
The second quarter was the complete opposite with the Statesmen being limited to six points, but a solid defensive effort kept it as close as possible as the squads hit the locker rooms tied at 26-26.
William Penn again found its groove in the third stanza and posted a 10-1 run that helped it enter the final quarter with an eight-point advantage at 42-34.
The Statesmen continued to keep Peru State (8-7, 5-6 Heart) in the rearview throughout most of the final period, including being up by six at 55-49 with just over two minutes to go. Unfortunately, the Bobcats did not lessen their pressure, eventually scoring the go-ahead three-pointer with 24 seconds left.
William Penn came up short on its next possession, but got the ball back on the steal by Aliyah Myers (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Business Management). The senior then had a chance to tie the contest, but her baseline jumpshot misfired. Alyssa Hames (Jr., Ackley, Iowa, Psychology) was there for the offensive rebound and tried a putback as time expired, but her attempt in front of the basket would also not drop as the Statesmen opened 2024 with a loss.
Mercer Roberts (Sr., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wellness and Recreation) guided the home team with 19 points, while Faith Putz (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa, Business Management) was next on the scoring list with 13 points.
Hames notched a double-double with 10 points and a squad-best 15 rebounds, while Myers also had a double-double with hers coming in rebounds (11) and assists (10). The senior managed five points as well Saturday.
Aiesha Feagins (Jr., Grand Prairie, Texas, Applied Mathematics) headed the bench with six points on a pair of three-pointers. Unfortunately, the Statesmen were just 4-for-24 from deep in the matchup.
William Penn’s rebounding advantage led to an 8-4 margin in second-chance points. Despite committing two fewer turnovers (13-15), the navy and gold were outscored 14-8 in points off turnovers.
“The girls did a lot of good things in rebounding and ball control today, but we failed to make plays down the stretch that could have made the difference,” Assistant Coach Sheawn Bedford said. “This game is on me as a coach as I could have put our players in better situations late in the game. I will learn from it and get better. I am really proud of our effort today.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Wednesday to host Central Methodist in Heart action at 5:30 p.m.
