Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team forced 28 turnovers and overcame poor free-throw shooting to defeat Avila 73-66 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.

WPU (3-3, 1-1 Heart) was outshot 39.7%-39.3%, but produced 24 points off of those 28 Eagle mistakes.  The home squad fell behind 15-5 early, but finished the first quarter with an 18-6 run to lead 23-21.

Avila (1-6, 0-2 Heart) reclaimed the edge one final time at 25-24, but grabbed the advantage right back on a bucket by Alyssa Phillips (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications), two of her 18 points in the contest.

The Statesmen led 39-29 at intermission, but the resilient Eagles rallied to within two points twice in the third period.  Fortunately, the navy and gold produced 12 straight points for a game-high 14-point edge at 56-42 with 2:01 on the clock in the third quarter.

AU had one more push, drawing within two at 67-65 with 2:20 remaining in regulation.  Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) took over down the stretch, posting the next five points to seal the victory.  Nwagbaraocha was 7-for-8 from the field and 9-for-14 at the line for a game-high 23 points.  While her charity-stripe shooting was not exactly great, it was actually pretty amazing in comparison to how poorly the Statesmen shot overall, going 23-for-43 total.

William Penn was outrebounded 42-39, but a 15-12 offensive edge helped the victors to a 13-7 margin in second-chance points.  Phillips and Sabrina Avery (Fr., Riverside, Calif., Psychology and Sociology) both pulled down nine rebounds.

Ashlee Harper (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Education) contributed nine points, while Jenna Santi (Fr., Oak Creek, Wis., Elementary Education) had seven and Dezarea Duckworth (So., Bryant, Ark., Exercise Science) finished with six.

Phillips also stole four passes and blocked two shots, while Avery assisted on three field goals.

“I am very proud of our team tonight,” Head Coach Willie Scott said.  “We played with a sense of urgency.  The fact that we did not give up the lead late showed a lot of determination.  Hopefully, this will grow our confidence and we can build from here.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Clinton next Saturday to face Mount Mercy as part of the Ashford Classic.  Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.Oskaloosa–The William Penn women’s basketball team forced 28 turnovers and overcame poor free-throw shooting to defeat Avila 73-66 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.

WPU (3-3, 1-1 Heart) was outshot 39.7%-39.3%, but produced 24 points off of those 28 Eagle mistakes.  The home squad fell behind 15-5 early, but finished the first quarter with an 18-6 run to lead 23-21.

Avila (1-6, 0-2 Heart) reclaimed the edge one final time at 25-24, but grabbed the advantage right back on a bucket by Alyssa Phillips (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications), two of her 18 points in the contest.

The Statesmen led 39-29 at intermission, but the resilient Eagles rallied to within two points twice in the third period.  Fortunately, the navy and gold produced 12 straight points for a game-high 14-point edge at 56-42 with 2:01 on the clock in the third quarter.

AU had one more push, drawing within two at 67-65 with 2:20 remaining in regulation.  Vashti Nwagbaraocha (Fr., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) took over down the stretch, posting the next five points to seal the victory.  Nwagbaraocha was 7-for-8 from the field and 9-for-14 at the line for a game-high 23 points.  While her charity-stripe shooting was not exactly great, it was actually pretty amazing in comparison to how poorly the Statesmen shot overall, going 23-for-43 total.

William Penn was outrebounded 42-39, but a 15-12 offensive edge helped the victors to a 13-7 margin in second-chance points.  Phillips and Sabrina Avery (Fr., Riverside, Calif., Psychology and Sociology) both pulled down nine rebounds.

Ashlee Harper (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Education) contributed nine points, while Jenna Santi (Fr., Oak Creek, Wis., Elementary Education) had seven and Dezarea Duckworth (So., Bryant, Ark., Exercise Science) finished with six.

Phillips also stole four passes and blocked two shots, while Avery assisted on three field goals.

“I am very proud of our team tonight,” Head Coach Willie Scott said.  “We played with a sense of urgency.  The fact that we did not give up the lead late showed a lot of determination.  Hopefully, this will grow our confidence and we can build from here.”

Next Up: William Penn travels to Clinton next Saturday to face Mount Mercy as part of the Ashford Classic.  Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.