Statesmen Celebrate Senior Night with Win Over Graceland
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team got to celebrate both their regular season Heart of America Athletic Conference title and their seven seniors on Saturday after defeating the Graceland Yellowjackets 102-87.
Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) got the scoring started with a pair of free throws, and Frederick Jackson (Sr., Killeen, Texas, Interdisciplinary Studies) sank a jumper to follow. The navy and gold started the game off on a 10-0 run, thanks to buckets from Jackson and Q Cager (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky., Wellness and Recreation) and two free throws from Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology).
Graceland started to chip into the lead, but Malyk Thomas (Sr., Copperas Cove, Texas, Sports Management) went on his own five-point run to push the lead to 11. The two continued to trade baskets as the Yellowjackets refused to let up, but WPU went on an 11-1 run to close out the half, punctuated by a triple from Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management).
Blaylock led all scorers with 13 points, also adding five rebounds. Cruesoe had a great all-around half with nine points, six boards, and five assists. The Statesmen shot 45.7% in the half while limiting Graceland to a 36.4% mark from the field.
The Yellowjackets shot well to begin the second half, but the Statesmen had an answer for every bucket, keeping their lead at 16 through the first six minutes. The visitors went on a mini run, chipping away at the lead and eventually pushing it into single digits and getting the score as close as six at 75-69.
William Penn responded well with eight consecutive points, extending the lead out to 14 again as they held GU at bay from there, finishing strong down the stretch to earn the 15 point win.
Blaylock finished as the game’s leading scorer with 27 points, going 9-14 from the field and grabbing nine rebounds. Cager and Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication)tallied 15 points apiece, while Watkins and Jackson added 11 and 10, respectively. Cruesoe finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists.
The Statesmen shot 48.6% from the field, and 80% from the charity stripe as a team, while Graceland shot 40.3% from the field and only 60.9% from the line.
“We struggled a bit tonight, emotions were high with a lot of distractions but we won and that’s all that matters,” said Head Coach John Henry.
What’s Next: The Statesmen have their final home game of the regular season on Wednesday, as they will faceoff with the Clarke Pride. In their first contest this season, the Statesmen won 89-88 on a last second shot. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
