Thrice as Nice! Statesmen Defeat Clarke for Third Time to Reach Semis
Thrice as Nice! Statesmen Defeat Clarke for Third Time to Reach Semis (photo by Ginger Allsup/Oskaloosa News)
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–Sarah Hansen (Sr., Kewanee, Ill., Psychology) knocked down her final 10 shots and her teammates were equally hot in the second half as the William Penn women’s basketball team advanced in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament with an 82-64 quarterfinal win over #7 seed Clarke Thursday.
Second-seeded WPU (22-7) shot 70.4% in the second half and ran away from its foe to beat the Pride (20-11) for the third time in three tries this winter. The navy and gold now move on to Saturday’s semifinals where they will host #3 seed (#8 NAIA) MidAmerica Nazarene at 7 p.m. William Penn defeated the Pioneers 55-50 in Olathe, Kan. on February 10.
The team’s 22 wins tie for the ninth-most in school history.
The Statesmen started a bit on the slow side, falling behind 7-4 in the opening minutes, but warmed up to claim a 14-12 edge after the first quarter. CU stayed close, eventually re-claiming the advantage at 22-21 with 4:39 to go. Fortunately, this was around the same time that Hansen caught fire. Just seconds earlier, the senior made her first shot after missing her initial three tries, and then she put the home squad on top for good with her second-straight three-pointer.
William Penn closed out the half up 31-25 and extended the advantage to 11 with the first five points of the third quarter. The visitors trimmed the margin to eight a few times in the stanza, but WPU took control again and led 54-41 with 10 minutes left in regulation.
The Pride did not back down, however, with consecutive buckets. The visiting team pulled to within seven on three occasions in the next two minutes, including at 58-51. Hansen, though, responded with possibly the best three-minute span of her life, making four trifectas and another two-point shot to build WPU’s advantage to an insurmountable 17 points at 75-58. The squad coasted out from there to reach its first semifinal round in the last four seasons.
Hansen, who had scored a combined 31 points in her last four games, busted out of the slump in a big way. She finished the evening 10-for-13, highlighted by an 8-for-9 three-point effort (2-for-2 FT), as she scored 30 points. The senior scored 24 second-half points with six long balls; Hansen’s eight three-pointers finished one shy of the program’s single-game record.
With Hansen pacing the way after intermission, the navy and gold shot 70.4% (19-for-27) in the second half. Overall, William Penn outshot Clarke 51.7%-41.7%. The victors were 68.8% from behind the arc (11-for-16), while the Pride struggled to a 27.3% clip.
Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) was second on WPU’s scoring list with 20 points on 9-for-17 shooting. She assisted seven times as well.
“I am very proud of how we ended the game!” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “We were a little slow in the beginning, but settled down and started playing Statesmen basketball. I cannot say enough about the way Vashti and Sarah played tonight!”
Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) was on the cold end of the shooting spectrum Thursday at 3-for-10 for nine points, but she found other ways to be productive with team highs in rebounds (8) and steals (2). Led by Ylitalo, the Statesmen held a 36-30 edge on the glass.
JeAnn Hiraldo (Sr., Frisco, Texas, Industrial Technology) matched Ylitalo with nine points, while Jenna Santi (Jr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) added six points in addition to nine assists.
William Penn committed three fewer turnovers (17-20) than Clarke and also tallied one more made free throw (9-8).
