WPU Cannot Overcome Second-Chance Points in Loss to Stars

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's basketball team could not keep its opponent off the offensive boards as it fell 66-62 to Stephens in non-conference action Wednesday.

WPU (2-3) outshot Stephens (7-1) 40.4%-38.8%, but lost the rebounding battle 38-35, including a 19-12 mark on the offensive glass.  That deficit led to the visitors owning a 24-13 mark in second-chance points.

The Statesmen fell behind 10-4 early, but battled back and led 14-10 after the first quarter.  The navy and gold then tallied the first points of the second quarter, but Stephens quickly fought back to tie the game up at 18-apiece.

The tie was short-lived as Ally Stewart (Sr., Victoria, Australia, Physical Education) knocked in a three-pointer, followed by a Joslyn Herbeck (Jr., Fond du Lac, Wis., Sports Management) three-pointer as the Statesmen took a seven-point advantage at 25-18.

The visiting team again cut into the deficit, scoring 10 unanswered, but Stewart hit another deep ball, giving William Penn a 28-27 lead heading into halftime.

The Statesmen opened the second half with another trifecta, this time from Zantasia White (Sr., Lubbock, Texas, Secondary Education), but the Stars fought back to take the lead. The teams traded baskets in the third quarter; White kept the navy and gold in the ball game by scoring 11 of the 19 third-quarter points.

Trailing by two entering the final period, William Penn scored the first four points on a pair of free throws by Emma Morts (Sr., Milford, Ill., Business Management) and Morgan Terry (Sr., Cornersville, Tenn., Biology). Unfortunately, Stephens answered with four in a row and never trailed again.  The sides were knotted up four times over the next few minutes, but SC went ahead for good at 61-60 lead with 2:18 left.

In addition to winning the overall shooting battle, the Statesmen outshot Stephens 36.4%-23.1% from the perimeter.  The hosts committed four more turnovers than the Stars (16-12), but came away with a 14-13 edge in points off turnovers.

Three Statesmen finished in double figures, including White with 16 and Terry and Stewart with 13 each. Herbeck and Morts tallied eight points apiece, while Morts also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.  Terry was the squad's top distributor with five assists.

"Our team is fighting through some adversity," Head Coach Jenna Santi said. "We will learn from our non-conference games and prepare for a tough conference season that starts this Saturday."

Next Up: William Penn will travel to Marshall, Mo. Saturday to take on Missouri Valley in its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener at 2 p.m.