William Penn’s women’s basketball team remains in contention for the Heart of America Athletic Conference title after the 18th ranked Statesmen defeated number 23 Culver-Stockton 68-63 Wednesday night (2/12) at Penn Gymnasium. The Statesmen were down by eight going into the fourth quarter, but their offense got going as William Penn outscored Culver-Stockton 32-19 in that final frame. Statesmen Coach Steve Williamson says there was more than offense to his team’s fourth quarter rally.
“I still think it was because of our defense. We had Autumn Voigt stepping up, taking four or five charges. We were making plays on defense that led to our offense and that’s always been our motto.”
Olivia Usher had 16 points for the Statesmen women, who improve to 15-4 in the Conference, two games behind first place Central Methodist. The Statesmen will host Central Methodist next Wednesday (2/19).
In the men’s game, William Penn kept its lead in the Conference with a 108-72 victory over Culver-Stockton. Statesmen Coach John Henry was pleased with his team’s 65 percent shooting.
“74 points in the paint, you’re going to shoot really high. I think we had close to 20 dunks. That’s a lot of dunks. That goes way back to the Phi Slamma Jamma days of the 80s when I was a kid. That’s a lot of dunks, that’s a lot of plays at the rim and that’s what we like to do—get out and play fast, play defense and put our will on you and tonight was a great example of that.”
Dexter Hood had 22 points for the 7th-ranked Statesmen, who remain in first in the Heat of America with a 16-3 record and 22-3 overall. The Statesmen are off until next Wednesday, when they host Central Methodist.
