by Oskaloosa (IA)–The Haskell Indian Nations University Lady Indians picked up a 67-65 non-conference win against William Penn University on Saturday.
William Penn (0-10) led by as many as nine points in the first half, but also trailed by as many as eight points in a close contest that featured seven ties and 10 lead changes.
In a back-and-forth first quarter, the navy and gold claimed a 17-16 advantage after 10 minutes of action. Beginning with the final two points of the opening stanza, the Statesmen scored 11 straight points for a 25-16 edge midway through the second quarter.
The Fightin’ Indians (5-8) closed out the remaining half strong, though, as WPU was only up 30-28 at intermission. The Statesmen committed eight of their 19 turnovers in the second quarter, while Haskell had 12 errors. The hosts were outscored 20-14 in points off mistakes.
The momentum remained in favor of HINU early in the third quarter as William Penn fell behind 40-32 at the three-minute mark.
The last quarter opened with five more unanswered Statesmen points as WPU went ahead 47-45. William Penn, which was outshot 51.0%-43.6%, was either on top or tied with the Fightin’ Indians over the next several minutes. HINU recaptured the advantage at 55-54
The waning minutes went in favor of Haskell Indian Nations, including runs of 5-1 and 5-0 as it pulled away down the stretch.
Haskell was led by Tiana Guillory with 27 points followed by Cayla Jones who had 15 points in the contest.
