OSKALOOSA – Megan Couch (Jr.-Mooresville, Ind.) broke through with 18 points and seven rebounds, and Iowa Wesleyan College limited William Penn University to 33.9% shooting in an 80-64 win over the Lady Statesmen in both team’s Midwest Collegiate Conference openers.
Couch posted season highs in both points and rebounds, coming off the bench and making six of eight shots. The junior college transfer was one of four players in double figures as the Tigers improved to 4-5 overall and dropped Penn to 5-7 overall. IWC also avenged an overtime loss to the Lady Statesmen last year in Oskaloosa.
Wesleyan led most of the game, taking the lead with 12:48 left in the first half and never trailing the rest of the way. The Tigers led 34-24 at halftime and pulled ahead by as many as 21 points in the second half.
Couch had 12 points in the first half, hitting four of five shots, including two of three three-point tries. A late 7-0 burst capped by a three-pointer by Angela Brinkmeyer (Jr.-Hubbard, Iowa) made it 32-19 just before halftime, the largest lead of the first half for Wesleyan.
After a chilly first half when the Tigers made 10 of 29 shots (34.5%), the rest of the team heated up in the second half, making 15 of 30 field goals (50.0%). IWC took firm control of the game midway through the second half, finishing an 11-2 run with a jumper by Rachel Mitchell (Sr.-Des Moines, Iowa) to take a 62-41 lead with 8:32 left in the game. Penn got no closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Brittany Okland (Sr.-Kelley, Iowa) scored 15 points, while Mitchell and Ali DeVries (Jr.-Bellevue, Iowa) both had 12 points. Brittney Wilson (Sr.-Cedar Rapids, Iowa) added eight points and seven rebounds and Mitchell posted a game-high seven assists. The Tigers out-rebounded William Penn 42-37 and made 25 of 29 free throws (86.2%).
IWC will next welcome Clarke College on Saturday for another Midwest Collegiate Conference game. Tip time at Ruble Arena will be 1 p.m.
For more information regarding the IWC basketball programs or any of the Tiger athletic teams, contact sports information director Adam Glatczak (319-385-6306 phone; 319-385-6384 FAX; aglatczak@iwc.edu e-mail) or log on to IWC's athletics web site at www.iwc.edu/athletics.
