WPU Suffers Fourth-Quarter Woes in Senior Day Loss

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's basketball team could not close out Saturday's outing as it fell 68-55 to Missouri Valley in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.

The Statesmen (9-16, 6-12 Heart), who were honoring eight individuals for Senior Day, were outshot just 40.6%-39.2%, but struggled rebounding the ball to the tune of a 44-26 deficit.  Within that margin, the hosts lost the offensive rebounding mark 19-8, permitting the Vikings (13-11, 9-9 Heart) to outscore WPU 14-8 in second-chance points.

William Penn ran out to a 6-0 lead after just 2:22 on the clock, but MVC rallied and went on top.  The Statesmen again caught fire and reclaimed the lead at 16-14, but unfortunately, the visitors scored eight unanswered and led 22-19 after one period of action.

The second stanza was a low-scoring affair consisting of just 11 points for each side.  WPU fell behind by nine before beginning its climb, closing to within three at the break at 33-30.  Joslyn Herbeck (Jr., Fond Du Lac, Wis., Sports Management) initiated the run with a three-pointer; overall, the Statesmen were 5-for-14 from behind the arc.

The teams were even in the third quarter as well with both scoring 19 points.  In a matchup that featured five ties and five lead changes, the navy and gold trailed big, but responded to tie the game one final time at 53-53 with 8:15 to go in regulation.

Unfortunately, the Vikings scored the next seven points to take control for good, while keeping the Statesmen scoreless for the final 5:03 to claim a split of the season series.  William Penn had defeated Missouri Valley 55-52 in Marshall, Mo. back on November 26.

Morgan Terry (Sr., Cornersville, Tenn., Biology) scored a team-high 13 points, while also assisting five times.  The duo of Emma Morts (Sr., Milford, Ill., Business Management) and Journie Augmon (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Human Services) also reached double figures with 10 points apiece.  Morts knocked down five of her six free throws, while WPU was a combined 10-for-14 at the stripe.

Ally Stewart (Sr., Victoria, Australia, Physical Education) was next with nine points, while Zantasia White (Sr., Lubbock, Texas, Elementary Education) and Herbeck, contributed six and five points, respectively.

Augmon and Amanee Clark (Jr., Waterloo, Iowa, Human Services) topped the defense with two steals each.

The Statesmen committed three fewer turnovers than MVC, but were outscored 14-13 in points off mistakes.

Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Wednesday, hosting Clarke in Heart action at 5:30 p.m.  It will be the team's final home game of the regular season.