Statesmen Fall to Lancers in South Dakota Trip
Yankton, S.D.–The William Penn women’s basketball team was unable to collect a victory as it heads into league play, dropping a 65-49 non-conference matchup to Mount Marty Tuesday.
WPU (0-5) was outshot 35.7%-32.7% and outrebounded 45-27, including losing the battle of second-chance points by a 18-3 margin.
The Statesmen stayed close, however, with a solid free-throw effort at 13-for-16 (81.3%).
Breacia Carter (Sr., South Beloit, Ill., General Accounting) knocked down the first bucket of the game just 1:36 into the night.
The contest was a low-scoring affair after five-plus minutes with WPU tied 4-4. Unfortunately, the Lancers (6-0) caught fire to pull out to an 18-11 edge by the end of the first quarter.
William Penn also struggled in the second stanza, heading into the locker room down 35-17.
Although they never threatened the home squad, the Statesmen continued to battle for all 40 minutes, including holding a 32-30 scoring advantage after intermission.
Chudear Mach (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, Kinesiology) paced her squad with 11 points off the bench on 5-for-10 shooting.
Laney Parker (Sr., Springfield, Ill., Business Management) and Reagan Pavesi (Sr., Austin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) hit double digits with 10 points apiece as well. Pavesi also topped the navy and gold in rebounds (8), assists (2), and steals (2).
Aspyn Roberson (Jr., Hesperia, Calif., Psychology) and Aliya Wagamon (So., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Psychology) contributed eight points each as well.
The Statesmen had ball control issues with 18 turnovers (16 for MMU), which led to a 20-16 edge for the Lancers in points off mistakes.
“This was another tough loss during a huge road stretch,” Head Coach DeWitt Mandley said. “You never want to lose a game you believe is winnable. I can honestly say that I see the growth and development in a team that has been through extreme adversity. I think our Statesmen family will see the results of that on Saturday as we begin conference play.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday host William Woods in its home opener and Heart of America Athletic Conference opener at 4 p.m.
