Statesmen Snap Losing Streak with OT Win on Senior Day

Oskaloosa--The William Penn women's basketball team made Senior Day a memorable one as it held off Baker 73-70 in overtime to win in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Saturday.

On an afternoon where it had to overcome 26 turnovers, WPU (4-21, 3-18 Heart) did nearly everything else right, including outshooting the Wildcats 46.0%-36.4%.

The navy and gold were unable to close out the game in regulation, but four consecutive made free throws by Joslyn Herbeck (Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis., Sociology) were enough to help the program end a 13-game losing streak.  WPU also swept the season series, having defeated BU 58-54 on the road back on December 9.

BU (3-22, 3-18 Heart) recorded the first eight points, but the Statesmen answered with 12 straight of their own, including three-pointers by Herbeck, Alyssa Hames (Jr., Ackley, Iowa, Psychology), and Mercer Roberts (Sr., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wellness and Recreation).

The home squad, which led 17-14 after 10 minutes, stayed on top for nearly the entire first half.  After relinquishing the advantage momentarily at 20-18, the navy and gold posted an 11-0 run and went into the locker room up 38-32.

As the visitors continued to apply pressure, it became the Hames Show in the third stanza as she scored nine of her team's 12 points in the period for a 50-46 edge heading into the fourth.  The junior had a career outing, scoring 27 points on 8-for-10 shooting.  She made four of her five three-pointers and was 7-for-9 from the free-throw line.  Additionally, Hames pulled down 12 rebounds for a double-double and assisted three times.

William Penn continued to keep Baker in the rearview as the sides exchanged buckets for the first few minutes of the final stanza.  A three-pointer by Hames and a layup from Aysia Arrowood (Jr., Wichita, Kan., Sports Management) seemed to put the final nails in the proverbial coffin, but the Wildcats roared back with a 13-2 run to tie the game at 62-62.

The hosts still had an opportunity to close it out in regulation, but a pair of free throws would not drop in the waning seconds and Baker turned the ball over as time expired to send William Penn to its second overtime of the year.

Fortunately, this time, the Statesmen came out on top in the extra session.  Both teams held an advantage a couple of times, but with 50 seconds left, Herbeck drained two free throws for a 71-70 lead.

Baker came up empty on its end and was forced to foul Herbeck who connected on two more throws from the charity stripe.  Overall, WPU was just 14-for-22 (63.6%) at the line, but BU was much worse at 6-for-13 (46.2%).

The Wildcats still had one last chance, but their tying three-pointer misfired and the Statesmen held on for the win.

William Penn also made up for its ball-control issues by knocking down 13 three-pointers on a 40.6% clip.  The squad's turnovers resulted in a 25-5 deficit in points off mistakes.

Herbeck and Roberts both joined Hames in the double-double club with 10 points each.  Roberts just missed a double-double with nine rebounds as the navy and gold held a 43-38 advantage on the glass.  The senior actually threatened a triple-double, dishing out six assists along with three steals.

Ally Stewart (Sr., Victoria, Australia, Sports Management) was next with nine points, while the duo of Arrowood and Aiesha Feagins (Jr., Grand Prairie, Texas, Applied Mathematics) were good for six each.

Kayla Carman (Jr., Gallitin, Tenn., Nursing) contributed five points as well.

Despite holding a rebounding advantage, WPU was outscored 12-6 in second-chance points.

"I am really happy for our ladies; they deserve this," Head Coach Joe McKinstry said.  "We obviously made plenty of errors that could have caused us to lose, but I am proud of the perseverance they showed to be able to come away with a win.  All seven players had big moments that led us to victory."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Peru, Neb. next Saturday to face Peru State in Heart play at 2 p.m.