William Penn Crushes Pride on Road, 78-46
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Dubuque–The Statesmen women’s basketball team posted a statement win Wednesday by running over Clarke 78-46 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
WPU (13-4, 7-1 Heart), which has tied a season high with four wins in a row, is off to its best start since being 13-4 as well in 1988-1989; the squad is also 7-1 in league play for the first time since 2010-2011.
As they have done each game during their four-game winning streak, the Statesmen were exceptional in the opening stanza. The Pride (12-6, 4-4 Heart) scored first and led 6-2 in the early moments, but the visitors flipped the script with 17 unanswered points to own a 19-6 edge after the first 10 minutes of action.
CU figured a few things out on its home court in the second quarter, trimming the margin to six at 30-24 by halftime, but the Statesmen took control in the third period. With a stifling defense that permitted the hosts to shoot just 26.3% overall (29.2% 3-PT), William Penn recaptured the momentum and outscored Clarke 25-10 in the third. A 13-0 run took the contest from a manageable 10-point margin to a blowout lead of 23 points.
During its current winning streak, the navy and gold have been simply outstanding during the odd-numbered quarters. On Wednesday, the Statesmen outscored the Pride 44-16 in the first and third quarters combined, and over the last four games, William Penn has more than doubled its foes to the tune of 167-83.
WPU did not let off the gas in the final period to knock off the Pride and put both CU and Grand View three games back in the North Division; the team also holds the tiebreaker over both programs. The Statesmen, who are tied with #7 Benedictine for the overall lead in the Heart standings, have a monster game on Saturday as they host #13 Baker at 2 p.m.
William Penn was not only amazing on defense, it also put on a show offensively by shooting a season-high 54.9%. Behind four three-pointers by leading scorer Sarah Hansen (Sr., Kewanee, Ill., Psychology and Human Services), the visitors were 8-for-11 from deep for 72.7%. The victors were also strong at the line at 77.8% (14-for-18).
The Statesmen held a 32-29 mark in rebounding and committed two fewer turnovers (21-23); the team was extremely opportunistic with a 32-13 edge in points off mistakes.
Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) was on Hansen’s heels in scoring with 18 points; she also stole three passes. Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) eclipsed double figures as well with 16 points in addition to six rebounds.
Jenna Santi (Jr., Oak Creek, Wis., Elementary Education) contributed eight points and JeAnn Hiraldo (Sr., Frisco, Texas, Industrial Technology) added five more Wednesday.
“We played great defense all night, but struggled offensively at times in the first half,” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “After halftime, we started making plays within our offense and we looked pretty good.”
