Ylitalo Lights it Up, Helps Give Statesmen 12th Win in 13 Games
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Peru, Neb.–The William Penn Women’s Basketball team has been on quite a stretch, winning 11 out of its last 12 games. The ladies looked to continue their winning ways, traveling to Peru State to take on the Bobcats in Heart of America Athletic Conference action on Saturday.
The Statesmen (20-2, 15-2 Heart) went wire-to-wire, leading the Bobcats (2-19, 1-16 Heart) from the opening score in a dominant performance. The team notched its 20th win, becoming only the fifth team in NAIA D1 Women’s Basketball to do so this season.
The navy and gold shot over 40% from the field (27-67) and 35% (11-31) from beyond the arc while holding the Bobcats to 38% shooting. Ball security was a big difference in this one. The Statesmen forced 22 Bobcats turnovers in the win, while only committing five. The ladies snagged 11 steals, highlighted by Shamiah Oliver (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Education) and her team-high three. Oliver, who has come on strong the past few games, finished with nine points (3-6 3FG), three assists, and the three steals.
Kate Ylitalo (Jr., Maple Plain, Minn. Biology) was a huge factor and was the main source of offense all game for William Penn. The junior posted 29 points (10-18 FG, 5-11 3FG), her second highest scoring output of the season, grabbed two rebounds, and had two assists.
Despite the lopsided win, WPU got outrebounded on the boards 32-31. Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) led the team with six rebounds and tallied six points, two steals and a block.
The team got solid facilitating from Brenda Pennington (Jr., Hammond, Ind.) who posted a team-high five assists while scoring eight points and forced two steals. Jenna Santi (Sr., Oak Creek, Wis., Sports Management) also scored eight points while Niaja Taylor (Jr., Rockford, Ill., Psychology and Sociology) provided a spark off the bench grabbing four rebounds in 13 minutes of play.
“I thought we came ready to play tonight after our big win Thursday night.” Head Coach Steve Williamson said. “They tried taking Vashti away and Kate hit some big shots. Our bench was big today! I thought Niaja gave us some great minutes. All around great game for us.”
Next Up: The Statesmen will return home to take on Clarke on Jan. 30 in Penn Gymnasium, starting at 5:30 PM.
