Graceland Women’s Basketball Falls Late to William Penn, 55–51

LAMONI, Iowa — Graceland's women's basketball team came up just short in a hard-fought Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup Wednesday night, falling 55–51 to William Penn inside the Morden Center.

Graceland, now 3-20 overall and 2-13 in Heart play, erased a nine-point first-half deficit and took the lead in the third quarter, but William Penn (8-15, 5-10 Heart) closed on a 6–0 run over the final 2:30 to earn the season sweep.

Ianara Morbidoni recorded a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds on 6-of-14 shooting to lead the Yellowjackets. Sariah Bradley added 14 points, while Maxine Ampofo grabbed 12 rebounds and contributed eight points. Graceland out-rebounded William Penn 41–34 and held the Statesmen to 32.8% shooting from the field and 15.0% from three-point range (3-of-20).

The Yellowjackets trailed 17–9 after one quarter but responded with a 14–8 second frame to cut the deficit to two at halftime. Graceland then outscored William Penn 18–14 in the third, led by a 3-pointer from Kayloni Smolley and inside scoring from Ampofo and Morbidoni, giving the hosts a 41–39 edge heading into the fourth.

Graceland's offense slowed in the final quarter, hitting just 4-of-13 from the field. Despite tying the game 49–49 on a 3-pointer from Laney Parker, and briefly leading after a Dekota Smith layup plus the foul, William Penn took control in the closing minutes with free throws and transition finishes.

The Yellowjackets finished 20-of-56 from the floor (35.7%), matching William Penn's 3-of-20 performance from beyond the arc. The difference came at the foul line, where William Penn hit 10-of-16 free throws compared to Graceland's 8-of-12.

Despite the loss, head coach Willie Scott praised his team's continued growth and effort.

"We did a lot of things well tonight — we defended, we rebounded, and we competed for four quarters," Scott said. "We're learning how to finish games, and this was another step forward for us. I'm proud of our group."

Graceland assisted on nine of its 20 made field goals and held William Penn to just three assists on the night, a testament to strong perimeter defense and execution in the half court. The Yellowjackets also posted 12 second-half points in the paint but were outscored 10–3 in second-chance opportunities.

With five conference games remaining, the Yellowjackets continue to push for consistency late in the season.

Graceland returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 31, for a Heart of America road matchup against William Woods University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. CST inside Stoddard Recreation Center in Fulton, Missouri.

For more information on Graceland women's basketball and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.