WPU Impressive in First Half, Falters After Break in Loss to MVC

Oskaloosa--For 20 minutes Wednesday night, the Statesmen women's basketball team was neck-and-neck with one of the top teams in the league, but unfortunately it could not replicate that effort for the whole game in a 64-42 Heart of America Athletic Conference loss to Missouri Valley.

William Penn (3-16, 2-13 Heart) was outshot 40.7%-26.5% and outrebounded 49-34, but put a fright into the Vikings (16-3, 12-3 Heart) as the home team led 20-18 at the break.

The navy and gold fell into an early 12-4 hole, but battled to a 12-10 deficit after one quarter of action.  They continued to roll, keeping MVC scoreless for over eight minutes as part of a 13-0 run that put the Statesmen up 17-12 midway through the second stanza.

The Vikings were stymied offensively in the first half, shooting just 26.9% (7-for-26) from the field.

WPU continued to be a nuisance in the third quarter, battling tooth and nail.  Still in the thick of it, Jaida Smith (Sr., Milwaukee, Wis., Business Management) recorded a rare four-point play with 3:40 to go in the third as the hosts drew even one final time at 31-31.

Unfortunately, Missouri Valley closed the period on a 12-2 run and never looked back as it kept pace near the top of the Heart standings.

Carley West (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn., Human Services) connected on 10 field goals (two three-pointers) en route to a squad-best 22 points.  Smith also made a pair of long balls as she finished with 17 points.  The duo accounted for all but three of WPU's points.

Smith also tallied eight rebounds, while Mariah Baltierra (Sr., Norcross, Ga., Sports Management) had three assists and Aysia Arrowood (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Sports Management) finished with a trio of steals.

The Statesmen were exceptional in ball control with just 10 turnovers, while MVC had 16 errors, but unfortunately the home team still came up short in points off turnovers, 15-9.

Both crews recorded 13 offensive rebounds with the Vikings holding a 13-8 advantage in second-chance points.

"The second half was a tough one for us," Interim Head Coach Sheawn Bedford said.  "We battled and used some of our momentum from last game and played well in the first half.  Ultimately, missed opportunities on offense and rebounding hurt us in the end.  Give credit to Missouri Valley, though, as it picked up its play after halftime, which is what good teams do.  We will learn from this and get ready for a tough road game at Graceland on Saturday."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Lamoni Saturday to face Graceland in Heart play at 2 p.m.