Women's Basketball turned in a strong second half at home on Saturday, picking up a win against the William Penn University Statesmen.
The 65-50 victory snaps a four-game losing streak against WPU.
Tied 27-27 at halftime, the Ravens turned it on in the second half. They shot just 31.3% in the opening half, but the offense picked up for the Ravens in the third quarter as they nearly matched their entire first-half output. Ali Brzozowski scored 8 in the quarter and Alleigh Kramer had an and-1, then a 3-pointer for 6 quick points. The Ravens shot 8-of-12 in the quarter to take a 49-42 lead into the final frame.
The Ravens defense continued to cause problems for WPU in the fourth quarter as the Statesmen were held to 8 points over the final 10 minutes. The Ravens doubled-up that total for 16 points and ran away with the double-digit win.
Post players for the Ravens had strong games. Brzozowski had 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Natalie Smaron also scored 14 points, adding two boards and blocked shot. They were joined in double-figures by Skylar Washington, who netted 11 points. Sam Brennan had eight assists and two steals for the Ravens.
The defense totaled 11 steals and forced 22 Statesmen turnovers, limiting WPU to 29.6% shooting in the second half.
The Ravens got off to a strong start in the game, but Penn held a 17-13 lead after one-quarter of action. Smaron stole a post pass on the defensive end, then knocked down a close jumper on the offensive end to give the Ravens a 9-4 lead.
The Statesmen then went on a 13-0 run to take a 17-9 lead with a minute left in the opening quarter. The Ravens answered with a drive to the paint by Kramer and aa Brzozowski basket to cut the deficit to 4 points.
Penn knocked down four 3-pointers in the first period to help build their lead.
The teams entered halftime knotted up, 27-27. The Ravens limited the Statesmen to just 10 points in the second quarter as their pressure defense forced Penn into several turnovers. The Ravens had seven steals in the opening 20 minutes and forced 12 total turnovers.
The Ravens struggled shooting the ball in the first half, connecting on 31.3% of their shots. They bounced back in the second half, though, shooting 56.5% in the final 20 minutes.
The Ravens (3-2, 1-0 Heart) will hit the road for games at Baker University and Missouri Valley College next week before returning home for a game against (RV) MidAmerica Nazarene University on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
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