Ylitalo’s Hot Hand Guides William Penn to Victory
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Marshall, Mo.–The William Penn women’s basketball team had their way with the Missouri Valley Vikings and got a huge performance from beyond the arc to lead them to a 72-47 win.
The Statesmen (6-0, 3-0 Heart) remained undefeated by outshooting the Vikings (2-5, 1-2 Heart) 48%-33% but the ladies dominated all facets of the game en route to the win. William Penn forced 26 turnovers including 2 steals in the matchup, scoring 21 points off turnovers.
The navy and gold got off to a good start leading for a majority of the first quarter behind Brenda Pennington’s (Jr., Hammond, Ind., Psychology) eight early points. The ladies would open up as big as a four point lead on two different occasions and shot 58% in the quarter to take a 18-15 lead.
The second quarter wouldn’t be as easy for the Statesmen as it would turn into a back and forth affair with the ladies turning the ball over six times in the stanza but scored the final four points to maintain the lead at the half, 33-28.
In the third, WPU found their groove on the defensive end of the floor forcing 11 turnovers. With 8:45 left in the quarter, Makenzie Pezley (So., Keokuk, Iowa) forced a steal and went coast to coast to give the Statesmen their first double-digit lead of the game. Kate Ylitalo (So., Maple Plain, Minn., Biology) scored seven points in the quarter and by the end had opened a 49-32 lead.
Ylitalo almost put the game out of reach all by herself, scoring 16 fourth quarter points including four shots from beyond the arc. The team cruised to the victory, leading by as many as 26 points and ultimately settling for a 72-47 win.
With the big fourth quarter, Ylitalo finished with a game-high 30 points while splashing seven triples and grabbing five rebounds. Two more ladies finished with double-digit scoring outputs with Pennington finishing the night with 15 points and Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) tallying 10. Nwagbaraocha found herself in some foul trouble but still managed a respectable game adding a team-high five assists along with three steals.
Pezley was key on defense forcing a team-high four steals and Shamiah Oliver (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Education) played quality minutes off of the bench with six points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Next Up: The Statesmen will return home and be in action on Nov. 26 against the rival Grand View Vikings at 5:30 PM in the Penn Gymnasium.
