In boys’ scores from Monday:
Albia 60, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 49
Grinnell 77, Cedar Rapids, Washington 71
In girls’ scores from Monday:
Eddyville-Blakesburg 63, Albia 61 (OT)
Grinnell 73, Cedar Rapids, Washington 52
Dubuque–The William Penn women’s basketball team had five players in double figures as it held off Clarke 82-75 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Monday.
With the win, the Statesmen (10-5, 8-3 Heart) are off to their best league start since 2012-2013 and best overall start since 2010-2011.
Due to a coaching decision, the navy and gold were competing with a depleted roster, but the visitors came out unfazed, taking the lead for good at 12-10. Ahead 20-18 after one quarter of play, the Statesmen put the Crusaders (9-6, 5-6 Heart) on their heels by outscoring them 17-7 in the second period to lead 37-25 at halftime.
CU pulled to within two in the third stanza, but WPU weathered the storm and went back up 57-48 entering the final quarter. The advantage grew to a dozen once more before Clarke made its last push to make it a one-point contest with 95 seconds remaining.
Fortunately, JeAnn Hiraldo (Jr., Frisco, Texas, Industrial Technology) capped a big game off the bench with a three-pointer and the Statesmen iced the game at the charity stripe. Both squads were impressive at the line with the Statesmen hitting 81.0{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} (82.1{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} for Clarke).
William Penn outshot Clarke 42.6{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b}-35.8{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b} and held a 45-41 edge in rebounding, but had to overcome 27 turnovers (21 for CU) to come away victorious.
Sarah Hansen (Jr., Kewanee, Ill., Psychology and Human Services) paced all participants with 25 points, including three three-pointers and a perfect 8-for-8 effort at the line; WPU made seven deep shots Monday. Normally known for her offensive prowess, Hansen also stole five passes.
In her non-starting role, Hiraldo scored 15 points with seven rebounds. Asia Roper (Sr., Aurora, Colo., Psychology) was next in scoring with 14 points alongside five assists, while Vashti Nwagbaraocha (So., Milwaukee, Wis., Exercise Science) had 13 points and also rang up five assists.
Alyssa Phillips (Sr., Gurnee, Ill., Communications) recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. The senior blocked a pair of shots as well.
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Thursday to face #19 Benedictine in Heart action at 5:30 p.m.
Dubuque–Just two days removed from a milestone victory for its head coach, the William Penn men’s basketball team managed to not suffer a letdown in a 97-76 Heart of America Athletic Conference win over Clarke Monday.
The fourth-ranked Statesmen (13-2, 9-2 Heart) went wire-to-wire to remain on top of the league standings with Grand View, which defeated #17 Benedictine in Kansas. WPU will next face Benedictine Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Oskaloosa.
The visitors scored the first seven points of the night and eventually pulled out to a 24-6 margin midway through the first stanza. The lead grew to 22 before being trimmed to 13 by intermission.
Fortunately, the Crusaders (5-10, 3-8 Heart) were unable to close the gap any more in a game that witnessed the victors outshooting CU 42.4{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b}-36.5{99cd714f394079a7f0ed2eb1518dd31342ff3ceb5b6c267c3ad8acd5b5a7d66b}.
The navy and gold made their living on the glass with a massive 61-41 mark (22 offensive). WPU also knocked down six more three-pointers (10-4) than Clarke.
A pair of Statesmen posted double-doubles with Jarvis Haywood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Business Management) managing 20 points and 12 rebounds (two steals as well) and Torren Jones (Sr., Chandler, Ariz., Sociology) finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Charles Knowles (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) was next in scoring with 15 points, while Corbin Medley (Jr., Rogersville, Mo., General Accounting) was also in double figures with 11. Elijah Williams (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) added eight in the scoring column, and Lionel Ellison (Sr., New Orleans, La., Kinesiology) contributed six points in addition to three blocks.
The William Penn University softball team will be hosting three youth clinics this month.
The first is for pitching on Sunday, January 15, the second is for hitting on Sunday, January 22, and the third is for fielding on Sunday, January 29. All three are for youth from grades 1-12 and run from 1-3 p.m. on the turf in the Penn Activity Center.
Clinic attendees will learn proper mechanics and techniques with personalized attention from college coaches and players. The cost to attend one session is $35, while two sessions are discounted to $50 and three sessions are $70 total.
For more information, contact WPU Head Coach Mike Christner at 641-673-1707 or by email at christnerm@wmpenn.edu
