WPU Pounds Mount Mercy in Clean 88-56 Victory
William Penn womens basketball defeated Mount Mercy to go 2-0 in the conference.
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen women’s basketball team posted its most-lopsided win of the season Wednesday, defeating Mount Mercy 88-56 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
William Penn (3-2, 2-0 Heart) won its third game in a row by doing so much more than just outshooting the Mustangs (2-2, 0-2 Heart), which by the way it did 43.2%-31.8%. The real meat of the triumph came in ball control, though, as the hosts forced MMU into 27 turnovers (only 10 for WPU), converting those opportunities into a 28-4 edge in points off mistakes.
The opening quarter featured a good battle as both sides held a lead. WPU gave up the game’s first three points, but then went on a 17-5 run before the visitors trimmed the margin to three at 19-16 by period’s end.
That was as close as Mount Mercy would ever come. Including scoring the final five points of the second quarter, William Penn took the period 21-9. It was much of the same in the final 20 minutes; the Statesmen would go on to win all four quarters.
The victors were on the losing end of the glass battle, 55-40 (19-9 offensive), but did not let that affect the final outcome as they only trailed 9-8 in second-chance scoring.
The Statesmen’s three-game winning streak is their longest since 2013-2014 when they also took three in a row from November 29 to December 7.
Sarah Hansen (Jr., Neponset, Ill., Psychology and Human Services) got the job done in all aspects, tying for the game lead with 21 points, while also topping WPU in assists (7) and steals (4).
Vashti Nwagbaraocha (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science), with 11 points, and Asia Roper (Sr., Aurora, Colo., Psychology), with 10, also reached double figures. Led by Roper, William Penn’s bench was much more productive, 37-11.
Alyssa Phillips (Sr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) was slowed to eight points, but was the best athlete on the boards (11 rebounds) and on defense (three blocks). Jessica Warren (Sr., Park Forest, Ill., Physical Education) matched her with eight points as well.
ShaVonn Watkins (Sr., Peoria, Ill., Physical Education) and JeAnn Hiraldo (Jr., Frisco, Texas, Industrial Technology) both contributed six points, and GeLina Webb (Sr., Crete, Ill., Software Engineering) came up with five points Wednesday.
The Statesmen picked up a few more points at the charity stripe as well with a solid 17-for-23 effort; Mount Mercy was just 12-for-20. The Mustangs were also limited to 2-for-16 shooting from behind the arc.
“I really like this team!” Head Coach Willie Scott said. “What a great group of hard-working young ladies. We knew it would be a lot different game to prepare for compared to Central Methodist. The coaching staff did a great job of keeping our players focused on letting go of a huge win and refocusing on the importance of this game. We again stuck to our game plan of keeping them under 60 points.”
“We did a much better job at the free-throw line as well,” Scott added. “I reminded our players that we have a deep bench and we will use everyone, and fortunately we had the chance tonight to do that. A big thanks to our fans who came out to support us. We will continue to stay humble and hungry.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Baldwin City, Kan. Saturday to face #13 Baker in Heart play at 2 p.m.
