Strong starts in each half lead to Pride 20-point win over William Penn
DUBUQUE, Iowa - Entering the day in search of their first win at home in just about a month, the Clarke University women's basketball team was able to snap the streak in a 78-58 victory over William Penn University on Monday night in the Kehl Center.
Suffereing from some tough quarters in previous game, this time it was the Pride who held a significant advantage early in the game, outscoring WPU 23-5 in the first quarter that included a 10-0 run to start the first 4:15 of the game as they would extend that run to a 17-2 run with just under 2:30 left in the quarter before finishing the period on a 6-0 run.
Audree Peck starred in the first as she went 3-for-3 with a three pointer in five minutes off the bench in the first period while Zoe Kennedy added six points as Camdyn Kay scored a pair of buckets then Hailey Walters, Maci Kuchta, and Sydni Morris all added a make from the field for two points apiece in the opening 10 minutes.
Coming out of the halftime break with a 14-point lead, Clarke would have a mini 10-3 run to lead 54-33 and eventually finish the quarter outscoring the Statesmen 23-16 behind six points from Walters, five from Kuchta, four from Anisha Vondenkamp, and three apiece from both Reese Ryan and Beatrice Atienza.
Watlers would end up leading the trio of herself, Kuchta, and Vondenkamp in double figures as Walters finished with 15 points while Kuchta added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double while also producing five assists, then Vondenkamp finished with a career-high 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field and going 2-of-4 from three.
Kennedy and Peck finished with nine and seven respectively with Kennedy leading all players in the game with 12 rebounds as every member of the Pride lineup who stepped foot on the floor made a basket from the field with Breckan Stewart and Jorja Hanselman rounding out the whole group.
William Penn had three players in double figures led by the game's leading scorer in Aysia Arrowwood who score 21 points with Jaida Smith and Carley West adding 17 and 13 respectively.
Clarke women's basketballwill continue their three-game week with a pair of road games, first on Wednesday night when they travel to Canton, Mo. to take on Culver-Stockton College for a scheduled 5:30 p.m. CT tip.