Statesmen Back in Win Column with Win Over College of Saint Mary

Oskaloosa--The Statesmen women's basketball team won its home opener, defeating the College of Saint Mary (Neb.) 76-63 Tuesday.

WPU (2-2) was outshot 43.4%-37.1% but made up for it on the boards, outrebounding the Flames (1-4) 49-31, which gave the home team 17 more tries at the basket (70 shots, compared to 53 for CSM). A 22-6 margin offensive rebounds also turned into a 15-7 mark in second-chance points.

While both teams struggled possessing the ball, CSM's 20 turnovers (18 for WPU) led to the Statesmen holding a 19-10 edge in points off mistakes.

William Penn started Tuesday's scoring when Kayla Jones (Sr., Louisville, Ky., Psychology) converted a layup on the game's first possession.

Jones went on to tally eight points for the navy and gold during the contest.

Meghanne Freehill (Jr., Lewiston, Ill., Sports Management) then hit the game's first three-pointer to give William Penn a 11-8 lead.

Freehill had a solid outing, ending with nine points and five assists.

The two teams struggled shooting for the rest of the quarter and William Penn went into the first break with a 17-16 lead.

Scoring in the second stanza was started when Reagan Pavesi (Jr., Austin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) hit her first of five three-pointers.

The Flames responded with a three of their own, cutting the William Penn lead to one at 20-19, but after a timeout, Pavesi drilled another long ball to extend the lead once again.

CSM battled back to a 27-27 tie until Kayla Carman (Sr., Gallitin, Texas, Nursing) connected on a shot from beyond the arc to give WPU the 30-27 lead with 2:39 left in the first half.  The Statesmen took a small 34-29 advantage at the end of the half.

The Flames made a layup to open scoring in the second half, but on the next offensive possession, Neva'eh Diaz-Doolin (Fr., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Biology) scored her first points against the Flames after grabbing her own rebound and dropping in a layup.  Taylor Lawhorne (Sr., Amityville, N.Y., Business Management) then made a three-point shot to put William Penn up 39-32.

The margin remained relatively consistent until Pavesi connected on another trifecta with 3:53 left in the third quarter to give William Penn a double-digit lead at 47-36.

It was over three minutes into the final quarter before William Penn put points on the board again, when Pavesi cashed in another three-pointer to make the score 60-52 with 6:49 left to play.

The Flames hit a three in response to cut the lead to only five, but a couple more baskets by the Statesmen saw the lead balloon back to 66-57 with 3:59 remaining.

The teams went back and forth down the stretch, but William Penn was too much going into the final whistle to claim the home opener.

Diaz-Doolin was William Penn's leading scorer, dropping 17 points along with seven boards.

Pavesi's five three-pointers (5-for-7 3-PT) led her to a 15-point showing.  Paced by her efforts, the Statesmen were strong from the perimeter, shooting a combined 41.4% (12-for-29).

Carman nearly reached double figures as well with nine points, while Lawhorn went on to score six points.  Lawhorne also tallied the squad's lone block.

Breacia Carter (Jr., South Beloit, Ill., General Accounting) finished up with five points and six rebounds (five offensive), while Kayla Peoples (Sr., Waco, Texas, Nursing) was WPU's best rebounder with 10 boards.

Neither side found much success at the free-throw line as WPU was 12-for-21 (57.1%) and CSM was 11-for-18 (61.1%).

"This was a great home-opening win tonight," Head Coach Sheawn Bedford Jr. said. "Anytime you get 22 offensive rebounds in a game, you're going to have a chance to win. Nevaeh Diaz-Doolin, Kayla Carman, and Reagan Pavesi all made big plays on both ends of the floor. Our depth was key in the win tonight."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Davenport Saturday to take on St. Ambrose in non-conference play at 1 p.m.