Park University's women's basketball program played an exceptional four quarters against Benedictine College for the win, 63-50.
Park's win breaks a 10-game losing streak to Benedictine and marks their first win against the Ravens since joining the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Park improves to 11-14 and 8-13 in conference play. The Ravens came in as the Heart No. 3 in the standings and after tonight drop to 17-8 on the season and 15-6 in the Heart.
The big storyline on the evening was
Angel Wiggins' 21 points which put her over 1,000 points in her collegiate career. She has spent the last two seasons as a Park Pirate, but the previous three seasons as a North Central Missouri College Pirate. Wiggins joined her teammate
Taylor Shelby, who accomplished the same feat on November 29, 2023 in the win against Baker University.
It was an impressive half all around for the Pirates holding Benedictine to under 10 points each quarter in the first half, while outscoring the Ravens by 19 in the first half.
It was an 8-2 run to begin the game for the Pirates, five of which coming from
Iva Drobnjak through the first 3:21 of the game. Benedictine countered to make it 10-7, but a 12-0 run to the 1:15 mark in the first quarter put the Pirates firmly in control. A big three-pointer by Park's
Kate Sokolova helped spur on the run. The quarter would close 22-9 in favor of Park. There were eight first quarter turnovers committed by the Ravens.
A 7-3 run began the second quarter and
Nevaeh Spillman made a big time play with a converted and-one in the series.
Emma Perry found herself open for the three-pointer at the 3:21 mark to put Park up 32-14. Spillman and
Makayla Artis put the final three points of the second quarter on the board for the 35-16 halftime score.
The Ravens came out with the first bucket of the second half, but Wiggins was there with the answer. Wiggins quelled the Ravens initial run and kept to 7-4 in the first two minutes of the third quarter. The Pirates turned it up a notch with an 11-0 run to reach their largest lead of the game of 27 points at 4:16, 50-23. Drobnjak and Wiggins were key players in this run and contributed five and four points, respectively. These two had outstanding nights as Wiggins scored 21 points, while Drobnjak scored 16. As the quarter closed, the Pirates were comfortable with a 20-point lead, 52-32.
Benedictine outscored the Pirates in the final quarter, 18-11, but Park would not give up their double-digit lead in their triumph over the Ravens, 63-50.
Park shot 38.9-percent from the field, while the Ravens were 34-percent of the same.
The Ravens were five-of-21 from three-point land, while the Pirates managed to get the job done inside with 36 points in the paint. Park only shot three-of-17 from beyond the arc on the night.
Park did have the advantage from the free-throw line though going 18-of-27 compared to 11-of-17 for the Ravens.
It was a landslide in points off turnovers with 26 for Park compared to only eight for the Ravens. Park took care of the ball compared to Benedictine with 15 turnovers to 24 for the Ravens.
Spillman was the third Pirate to go over 10 points with a 10-point spot herself and five rebounds.
Artis led the team in rebounds with 13 for the game and scored seven points.
Park will enjoy the win and be back in Breckon Sports Center on Saturday, February 17 at 2pm.
WATCH
Box Score
#ParkUNation
