Winning Streak Snapped by #9 Ravens
#9 Benedictine snapped William Penns winning streak on Wednesday.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–Turnovers and hot perimeter shooting by its foe was too much to overcome as the Statesmen women’s basketball team fell 82-55 to #9 Benedictine in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Wednesday.
Despite not having played in 25 days, William Penn (9-4, 3-1 Heart) was not terribly rusty as it pulled out to an 11-7 edge midway through the first quarter.
The squad, which saw its four-game winning streak come to an end, slowly slipped off its strong pace and eventually trailed 17-15 after the opening period. The second stanza was a rough one, especially in the waning seconds, as the hosts were outscored 22-12 and went into intermission down 39-27.
WPU’s deficit grew to 20 in the third quarter, but the navy and gold tried to make it a game by drawing to within 14 late in the period. Unfortunately, the Statesmen could not get any closer in a game where they were outshot 53.4%-45.8%.
The Ravens (12-2, 3-1 Heart) forced William Penn into 23 turnovers (15 mistakes by BC) and took advantage to the tune of a 32-8 edge in points off turnovers. Benedictine, led by Jordan Closter with 10 long balls, hit 12 three-pointers, compared to just four for WPU.
Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) picked up a pair of early fouls to limit her minutes, but when she was on the court, she was a solid force. The junior tallied team highs in points (13), rebounds (5), assists (3), and steals (3).
Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) hit a pair of trifectas en route to also reaching double figures with 10 points.
Sarah Hansen (Sr., Kewanee, Ill., Psychology and Human Services), who also made two three-pointers, added eight points, while Jenna Santi (Jr., Oak Creek, Wis., Elementary Education) finished with six points.
“I am disappointed in our effort,” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “We did not compete or play hard enough to give ourselves a chance to win. Benedictine is a great team and simply out-worked us tonight.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Lamoni Saturday to face Graceland in Heart action at 2 p.m.
