WPU Closes Strong to Get First Win of Year
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Dubuque–The Statesmen women’s basketball team outscored its foe by 14 points in the final quarter to get its first victory of the season, defeating Emmaus Bible 71-55 in non-conference play Saturday.
William Penn (1-1) won for the first time in the Steve Williamson era, doing so by once again stepping up its game in the last 10 minutes of action. Thus far, through two contests, the navy and gold have outscored the opposition 52-29 in the fourth period.
The Eagles (0-3) led 8-3 early, but the visitors responded with six unanswered as part of a 12-3 run. The lead changed hands a couple more times during the second quarter, but the Statesmen eventually led 29-26 at intermission.
EBC continued to make life difficult for WPU, entering the fourth quarter down just 45-43. The Statesmen appeared to be on their way to a nail-biting finish, leading by only two at 49-47 with 6:51 remaining in regulation, but they managed to string together several successful trips down the floor. When all was said and done, WPU went off for a 16-2 run over the following four minutes of action to seal the win. Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) and Sarah Hansen (Sr., Neponset, Ill., Psychology and Human Services) both had six points during the stretch, while Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) added another four.
William Penn outshot Emmaus Bible 43.5%-36.2% and dominated the glass with a 49-23 edge (21-8 offensive).
Nwagbaraocha paced the navy and gold with a massive double-double of 21 points and 16 rebounds. She was 9-for-14 from the floor, had seven offensive boards, stole five balls, and blocked three shots.
The junior helped WPU to a 24-10 edge in second-chance points.
Hansen hit four three-pointers to tally 14 points, while Jenna Santi (Jr., Oak Creek, Wis., Elementary Education) and Sham Troupe (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) also reached double figures with 10 points each. Santi recorded six assists as well, while Troupe just missed her own double-double with nine rebounds.
Brynesha Mosby (Jr., Belleville, Ill., Biology) topped the bench personnel with eight points, while Ylitalo added seven points.
Both teams committed 25 turnovers; the Statesmen held a 30-24 margin in points off turnovers. The Statesmen struggled from the line, going 12-for-19, but the Eagles were not much better at 14-for-21.
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa for its home opener next Tuesday, hosting Hannibal-LaGrange in non-conference action at 6 p.m.
