Statesmen Halt Losing Streak by Toppling Peru State

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's basketball team's fourth-quarter push helped hold off Peru State 63-56 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Wednesday.

WPU (9-14, 6-11 Heart) outshot the Bobcats (8-15, 4-13 Heart) 40.0%-35.0%, while also winning the three-point battle 33.3%-20.0%.  In a contest that featured 39 turnovers (19 for William Penn), the victors were excellent in converting them into points with a 24-12 edge in points off mistakes.

The hosts came out the gate slow, trailing 10-4 halfway through the first period before Elle Turner (Fr., Camdenton, Mo., Business Management) drilled a trifecta to help get the Statesmen back on track.  Ally Stewart (Sr., Victoria, Australia, Physical Education) followed her teammate with another long ball to tie the game at 10-10, but WPU eventually trailed 14-12 after the first 10 minutes.

William Penn opened the second quarter with three straight baskets to take an 18-14 edge, but PSC responded with points of its own to quickly take the lead back 21-18. The advantage did not last long, though, as Amanee Clark (Jr., Waterloo, Iowa, Human Services) knocked down a deep ball, followed by a jumper from Morgan Terry (Sr., Cornersville, Tenn., Biology) as the Statesmen went into intermission with a 27-24 lead.

The navy and gold continued to find some rhythm from behind the arc as Clark, Stewart, and Joslyn Herbeck (Jr., Fond Du Lac, Wis., Sports Management) connected on three-pointers to get the Statesmen out to a 42-31 lead midway through the third. Unfortunately, Peru State stormed back with a 9-0 run to trim the margin to two at 42-40 entering the final quarter.

In the final stanza, Aiesha Feagins (Jr., Grand Prairie, Texas, Applied Mathematics) got the Statesmen going with a three-pointer that led to a back-and-forth battle as neither team could gain control. Trailing by one with under four minutes remaining, Stewart was able to connect on her fourth trifecta of the night, making it 54-52 in favor of WPU.

After a Bobcat bucket tied the game once more, Terry's layup at the 1:53 mark put the Statesmen ahead for good.  The navy and gold then kept Peru State at bay with strong free-throw shooting.  Herbeck made both of her attempts, while Emma Morts (Sr., Milford, Ill., Business Management) hit all four of her shots to secure the victory, ending the team's five-game losing streak.

Both sides were strong at the stripe; WPU was 10-for-12 (83.3%), while PSC was 9-for-12 (75.0%).

Stewart topped the navy and gold with 16 points and five rebounds, while Morts had a huge night with a double-double of 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.  Herbeck and Terry both finished with nine points, while Clark and Feagins each tallied six as well.  Four different players tallied three assists apiece.

Despite the rebounding performance from Morts, WPU lost the overall category 37-35.  The hosts, however, still managed to outscore the Bobcats 11-4 in second-chance points.

"I am proud of each player on the court and the bench," Head Coach Jenna Santi said. "It was a true TEAM win and it was great to see Emma Morts get a double-double and Ally Stewart knock down shots with confidence."

Next Up: William Penn will remain in Oskaloosa Saturday, hosting Missouri Valley in Heart action at 2 p.m.  The game will also serve as Senior Day.