Statesmen Miss Chance at Season Sweep of Yellowjackets

Lamoni--The William Penn women's basketball team failed to claim the season sweep of Graceland as it lost 73-54 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference contest Saturday.

WPU (3-17, 2-14 Heart), which defeated the Yellowjackets at home in December, was unable to drop them on the road.  The visitors were outshot 39.3%-33.9% and outrebounded 39-33, while also committing 19 turnovers (13 for GU).

Aysia Arrowood (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Sports Management) tallied her squad's first five points, while Lacy Whitcomb (Sr., Overland Park, Kan., Psychology) connected on a pair of three-pointers as the navy and gold pulled out to a 13-7 advantage.

Unfortunately, Graceland (7-13, 5-11 Heart) answered with an 8-1 run and was up 15-14 at the conclusion of the first quarter.  The matchup remained tight with a layup by Carley West (Jr., Saint Paul, Minn., Human Services) knotting the score at 19-19 midway through the second stanza.

WPU went cold for the remainder of the period, however, and the Yellowjackets scored the next 11 points, never trailing again.

Down 33-22 at intermission, the Statesmen mounted a small comeback in the third to draw within 10 at 44-34, but they failed to post a true threat to their hosts.

William Penn's ball control struggles led it being outscored 19-5 in points off turnovers, while Graceland also held a 15-10 edge in second-chance points.  The visiting crew was unable to overcome a 16-6 deficit in free throws as well.

Arrowood guided the Statesmen with 17 points, including showing strong perimeter proficiency at 5-for-10.

West was next with a near double-double of 11 points and nine rebounds, while also recording a pair of blocks.  Whitcomb joined the double-digit club as well with 10 points, while Mariah Baltierra (Sr., Norcross, Ga., Sports Management) added six points with two assists.

"Turnovers and missed shots hurt us in the second half," Head Coach Sheawn Bedford said.  "I have to do a better job at putting us in position to score the ball.  I give credit to Graceland as well, though, as it capitalized on our mistakes and made us pay."

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Wednesday to host Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 5:30 p.m.