Strong First Quarter Enough to Guide WPU to Win Over Mustangs
Vashti Nwagbaraocha posted her sixth consecutive double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. She also had 3 blocks and 4 steals.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa—Coming off a thrilling and emotional victory over #23 CMU on Monday, the #20 William Penn Women’s Basketball team was back in action Thursday as they defeated Mount Mercy 66-42.
The Statesmen (16-1, 10-1 Heart) came out of the gates red-hot, outshooting the Mustangs (5-12, 1-10 Heart) 69%-33%, enough to grab a commanding a 27-13 lead.
The ladies would begin to come back down to earth, however, in the following quarters, visibly slowed by an MMU defense that had clearly made the necessary adjustments. Fortunately for the navy and gold, their defense came to play as well, halting any offense the Mustangs threw at them, including an impressive third quarter that saw the Statesmen hold Mount Mercy to just three points.
With a combined effort from the offensive first quarter and the defensive third quarter, it proved to be more than enough.
It was not the cleanest game for William Penn as it turned the ball over 13 times, but was able to force 16 turnovers on the other end, 10 of them coming off steals. Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) paced the team with four and Brenda Pennington (Jr., Hammond, Ind.) finished right behind her with three.
On the offensive end, Nwagbaraocha led the way once again posting her sixth consecutive double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. She also added three blocks to go along with the four steals. Kate Ylitalo (Jr., Maple Plain, Minn. Biology) did not have her best shooting night, but still managed a way to reach double figures with 13 points, and Pennington finished with 11 points and a team-high four assists.
Jenna Santi (Sr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) filled up the stat sheet with an all-around performance, posting seven points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Next Up: WPU will head south to Atchison, Kan. on Saturday to take on the Benedictine Ravens in Heart action. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
