OSKALOOSA — The Statesmen women’s basketball team claimed a thriller for its first victory of the year, coming from behind to defeat Viterbo 70-67 in non-conference play Wednesday.
WPU (1-1) outshot the V-Hawks 36.5%-30.3% in its home opener, but had to overcome 28 turnovers (25 for VU) and a 51-45 deficit in rebounds.
Just as they had in last Saturday’s season opener, the navy and gold started strong. VU (0-2) scored the first bucket, but the hosts responded with nine unanswered points.
Unfortunately, the V-Hawks bounced back with eight in a row, only to have Ally Stewart (Sr., Victoria, Australia, Sports Management) answer with a three-pointer, one of three in the contest for the senior. William Penn built on its advantage, eventually holding a 22-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
WPU continued to keep Viterbo at a comfortable distance through the opening minutes of the second stanza, but the visitors finally surpassed the Statesmen at 32-31 with 5:36 left until intermission.
Down 44-37 at the break, the Statesmen had already committed 16 mistakes. Not much changed in that department in the third period, but William Penn did other things well as it closed the gap. Once trailing by 13 at 50-37 at the 8:51 mark, the hosts slowly crept back in, getting as close as 50-48 just over two minutes later.
The margin then fluctuated between two and four points for several minutes in a matchup that saw the scoring pace slow way down. Viterbo was up 60-56 with 10 minutes to go and was still ahead by four at 62-58 with just over five minutes left in regulation.
Aliyah Myers (Sr., Wichita, Kan., Business Management) then knocked down a pair of free throws and over a minute later, Alyssa Hames (Jr., Ackley, Iowa, Psychology) also connected on two charity stripe throws to knot the score at 62-62. Two more free throws from Mercer Roberts (Sr., Myrtle Beach, S.C., Wellness and Recreation) with 3:00 to go gave the Statesmen their first lead since the second quarter. Overall, the Statesmen were excellent at the line, going 18-for-21 for 85.7%.
Faith Putz (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa, Business Management) stretched the lead to three at 66-63 on a driving layup, but four unanswered free throws saw VU go back ahead at 67-66 in the final minute.
Putz then delivered an even bigger shot than her layup. The junior misfired on a trifecta in the corner, but Stewart tracked down a weak-side offensive rebound. Putz was given another try from the exact same spot via a pass from Hames, and with 22.8 seconds left, she buried it to make it 69-67 in favor of the home squad.
“Obviously the shot by Faith sticks out, but the offensive rebound by Ally to get her the ball was huge,” Head Coach Joe McKinstry said.
The V-Hawks came up empty on their other end of the floor. Hames rebounded the miss (the last of her team-high nine boards), was fouled, and made the first of two free throws. The second attempt did not fall, leaving VU a chance to tie with a desperation three-pointer, but the shot sailed long and the Statesmen survived for their first victory bell-ringing of the season and first win under McKinstry.
Putz guided the victors with 15 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while nearly the entire starting lineup hit double digits. Hames and Myers, who was 8-for-8 at the line, both finished with 12 points, while Roberts also joined the club with 10.
Stewart’s three three-pointers led her to nine points, while Amaria Turner (So., Des Moines, Iowa, Human Services) headlined the bench effort with six points.
WPU won despite being outscored 34-16 in points off turnovers and 26-11 in second-chance points.
Myers dished out four assists, while Hames and Turner both recorded two steals. Turned added a pair of blocks as well.
“I am obviously happy to get the win, but more importantly for our goals this season, I am proud of the ladies and the fight and determination they showed tonight,” McKinstry said. “We made plenty of mistakes and found ourselves in a pretty big hole early in the third quarter, but the toughness we displayed is something we have been trying to get our players to develop. Big minutes by Alyssa Hames, Nikeshia King, and Amaria Turner stick out as well. Going 18-for-21 from the free-throw line certainly helped us come away with a ‘W’. I am proud of our ladies; they deserve this win.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Forest City Friday to face Waldorf in non-conference play at 2 p.m.
