Nationals Run Ends at Home
Emotions were raw on Saturday evening as the Statesmen Men’s Basketball Team bowed out of the 2022 NAIA National Tournament.
Oskaloosa–A thrilling comeback fell just short on Saturday, as the William Penn men’s basketball team saw its season end at the hands of a last second shot from Indiana University Kokomo. The loss ends the team’s national tournament bid, and brings their final record for the 2021-2022 season to 31-2.
Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) started the game as hot as can be, scoring on three straight possessions to put the Statesmen ahead 7-4. The Cougars had a strong start to the game offensively as well, however, and the two teams played to a 23-23 tie after 10 minutes. Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information, Technology) scored consecutive baskets coming out of the media timeout, but IUK continued to hit shots, and slowly built their lead to a nine-point advantage at halftime.
Blaylock led the navy and gold with 14 first-half points, and Newman was just behind him with 13. The Statesmen as a whole shot a strong 51.5% from the field, but were just 1-8 from downtown. Meanwhile, the Cougars never cooled off in the opening half, shooting 61.8% from the floor and 8-15 from beyond the arc.
The Cougars came out hot in the second half, but the Statesmen had no answers on offense, and the visitors extended their lead to 16 with 16 minutes to play. William Penn started to chip into the lead, as Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) buried a triple and Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) hit back-to-back threes to cut the lead to seven. The navy and gold trimmed the lead all the way down to one, but could not take over as the Cougars once again extended their advantage to nine points.
With just five minutes to play, the defense continued to hold the visitors at bay, and the baskets started to fall for WPU. Newman hit a pair of free throws, then Ahmad Pender (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Wellness and Recreation) came up with a big offensive rebound and got the putback to go. Cruesoe and Watkins each got baskets to follow, and the lead had been cut to two as the Statesmen trailed 87-85 with 2:37 left to play.
The two teams traded baskets, and with the lead still at one, Blaylock was forced to foul. IUK missed both of the ensuing free throws, and Blaylock grabbed the rebound. He drove the length of the court and gave the Statesmen their first lead of the second half with six seconds to go. Unfortunately, it was enough time for the Cougars to respond, and they got a floater to go from the baseline as time expired to earn the stunning victory and advance to Kansas City.
Blaylock and Newman tied for the team lead with 23 points, with Blaylock also contributing nine rebounds. Cruesoe reached double figures with 10 points, also adding seven boards and five assists.
Watkins had a huge game off the bench, totaling 18 points and five rebounds. Pender had a strong game as well with 10 points and six rebounds.
