WPU Loses Tight One to Haskell Indian Nations
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s basketball team hit 10 three-pointers and outrebounded its foe by 11, but failed to hold its first halftime lead of the season in a 67-65 non-conference loss to Haskell Indian Nations Saturday.
William Penn (0-10) led by as many as nine points in the first half, but also trailed by as many as eight points in a close contest that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, the navy and gold claimed a 17-16 advantage after 10 minutes of action. Beginning with the final two points of the opening stanza, the Statesmen scored 11 straight points for a 25-16 edge midway through the second quarter.
The Fightin’ Indians (5-8) closed out the half strong, though, as WPU was only up 30-28 at intermission. The Statesmen committed eight of their 19 turnovers in the second quarter, while the visitors had 12 errors. The hosts were outscored 20-14 in points off mistakes.
The momentum remained in favor of HINU early in the third quarter as William Penn fell behind 40-32 at the three-minute mark. The Statesmen roared back, though, including a trifecta by Amanee Clark (So., Waterloo, Iowa, Human Services) at the buzzer, to pull to within three at 45-42 entering the fourth period.
The last quarter opened with five more unanswered Statesmen points as WPU went ahead 47-45. William Penn, which was outshot 51.0%-43.6%, was either on top or tied with the Fightin’ Indians over the next several minutes. HINU recaptured the advantage at 55-54, but a free throw by Journie Augmon (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev., Human Services) knotted the contest with 4:16 remaining.
Unfortunately, the waning minutes went in favor of Haskell Indian Nations, including runs of 5-1 and 5-0 as it pulled away down the stretch.
WPU stayed in the game by connecting on 10 three-pointers on 38.5% shooting, while HINU was limited to five three-pointers but made 41.7% of its attempts. Both sides struggled from the free-throw line as William Penn was 7-for-11 (63.6%) and the Fightin’ Indians were 10-for-19 (52.6%).
Zantasia White (Jr., Lubbock, Texas, Secondary Education) posted a double-double with team highs in points (18) and rebounds (11). The Statesmen controlled the glass with a 35-24 rebounding margin, including a 13-6 mark in offensive boards. The advantage unfortunately did not net an advantage in points as both squads managed 12 second-chance points.
Ally Stewart (Jr., Victoria, Australia, Physical Education) had a great first half, scoring all 14 of her points before the break. Both White and Stewart knocked down four three-pointers in the setback.
Clark added the final two long balls en route to 12 points off the bench. Augmon also played well in a non-starting role with eight points, while Morgan Terry (Jr., Cornersville, Tenn., Biology) managed six points in addition to five assists. Alexis True (Jr., Frankfort, Ky., Exercise Science) was good for five points as well.
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Wednesday to host Grand View in Heart of America Athletic Conference action at 5:30 p.m.
