Statesmen Fall Just Short of Pirates

Parkville, Mo.--Alyssa Hames (Grad., Ackley, Iowa, Master's of Sport Management) posted a big double-double, but the William Penn women's basketball team failed to claim a road victory as it lost 55-48 to Park in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup Saturday.

WPU (1-6, 0-4 Heart), which was narrowly outshot 41.1%-40.8%, unfortunately could not make up for 22 turnovers (10 for PU).

Hames knocked down the first bucket of the game, but the Pirates (4-3, 2-2 Heart) responded with an 8-2 run.  The sides then went back and forth and were tied 14-14 through the first 10 minutes.

The hosts led 28-25 at the break and stayed on top until Azori Edwards (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Sociology) hit a layup to put the navy and gold on top at 38-37 with 3:20 left in the third stanza.

Unfortunately, Park finished the quarter with nine unanswered points and then tacked on two more to open the fourth and claim a 48-38 advantage.

The Statesmen did not go away, though, but could never get any closer than a four-point deficit at 50-46.

William Penn's mistakes were converted into an 18-8 edge for PU in points off turnovers.

The visiting crew dominated the glass with a 34-20 rebounding mark, but only held a 3-1 margin in offensive boards.

Hames headlined the Statesmen efforts with a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds, while also recording three assists and two steals.  She was 7-for-13 from the field Saturday.

Edwards, with 12 points, and Kayla Peoples (Jr., Waco, Texas, Nursing), with 10, also hit double figures, while Carley West (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn., Human Services) finished with eight points.

"There were definitely some aspects I was really pleased with, including us outrebounding Park, which is something we have not been great at this season," Head Coach Joe McKinstry said.  "I was pleased with our perimeter defense and making things hard for Park, execution-wise.  Unfortunately, turnovers and shooting woes from the perimeter ultimately caused us to come up short."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Canton, Mo. next Tuesday to face Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.