Statesmen Crush Flames in Season Opener

Omaha, Neb.--The William Penn women's basketball team went wire-to-wire as it defeated College of Saint Mary (Neb.) 94-73 in non-conference play Saturday.

WPU (1-0) dominated the evening by outshooting CSM 53.2%-36.1%.  The Statesmen also won the rebounding battle 41-35, while also committing 15 turnovers compared to 18 for the Flames (0-1).

The hosts were able to stay somewhat close due to 26 William Penn fouls that resulted in 33 free throws.  Fortunately, CSM only made 19 of those shots, while WPU also had struggles at the charity stripe (8-for-16).

The visitors scored on each of their first five possessions as they pulled out to an 11-0 advantage.  College of Saint Mary got within single digits at 16-7, but the navy and gold scored seven in a row as part of an 11-5 run to lead 27-12 after 10 minutes of action.

Remaining comfortably in front, the Statesmen pushed the margin to as large as 19 in the second stanza, including being up 50-31 at intermission.  Never challenged in the second half, WPU went up by a game-high 29 points at 72-43 with 2:13 left in the third period before coasting to the win.

William Penn delivered a strong 1-2 punch Saturday with Carley West (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn., Human Services) and Alyssa Hames (Grad., Ackley, Iowa, Master's of Sports Management) combining for 52 points.  West was 11-for-15 from the field for a game-high 27 points, while Hames made 11 of her 16 shots for 25 points.  Both players knocked down a trio of three-pointers, while Hames also topped WPU with nine rebounds and West managed three steals.

Aysia Arrowood (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Sports Management) was next in the scoring column with 13 points on 5-for-10 shooting, while Amaria Turner (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, Human Services) headed the bench with 10 points (5-for-7 FG).  Shelby Clark (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Wellness and Recreation) added five points, while Rebecca Fraley (Jr., Windsor, Conn., Biology) dished out five assists.  Ten different Statesmen scored in the season-opening victory.

William Penn took advantage of the CSM turnovers, outscoring the Flames 25-12 in points off mistakes.  The visiting crew also dominated the interior with a 64-18 edge in points in the paint.

"It is nice to get this first one out of the way," Head Coach Joe McKinstry said.  "With Homecoming this weekend and plenty of other distractions this week, this was not an ideal date for a game, so I was proud of the girls for going on the road and getting the first win of the season.  Carley West and Alyssa Hames gave a great boost from the jump and continued through the night with efficient offensive games, but we had a lot of great contributions tonight."

Next Up: William Penn takes a week off before returning to Oskaloosa on Monday, November 4 to host Harris-Stowe State in non-conference action at 6 pm.