Statesmen Defeat Valor in Battle of Ranked Teams, Take Control of Heart
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team led from start to finish in a matchup of ranked teams as it dropped #18 Evangel 76-73 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Saturday.
Winners of 11 in a row (all in league play), the 13th-ranked Statesmen (15-2, 11-0 Heart) were in control throughout, leading by double digits for a majority of the game. Evangel (14-3, 9-2 Heart) made a run towards the end of the evening, but the hosts did just enough to hang on and move two full games ahead of the Valor at the midway point of the conference season.
WPU not only outshot EU 44.8%-39.7%, but also dominated the glass with a 47-29 edge. The victors took advantage of their 15 offensive rebounds by posting 16 second-chance points. Conversely, Evangel was limited to just two points on four offensive boards. EU was able to stay in the contest, though, and make a late run with a strong perimeter showing, going (12-for-24, 50.0%), while the Statesmen were just 8-for-25 (32.0%).
Shot out of a cannon, WPU claimed a 15-0 lead eight minutes in. The Valor finally got on the board in the ninth minute, but the Statesmen kept them at a distance, holding a 35-17 edge late in the opening period. Unfortunately, EU closed strong and trailed William Penn by just nine at the break, 37-28.
The Statesmen remained steady in the second stanza, extending their lead to 18 again, before Evangel mounted its charge. Up 10 with 1:24 to go, WPU prepared to close it out with ease, but a technical foul jump-started the Valor and they eventually pulled within three at 74-71 with three seconds left. Fortunately, James Pennington (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) was fouled and he sealed the game with a pair of free throws that iced the victory. The senior finished with eight points in addition to five rebounds and five assists.
Although void of a star Saturday, William Penn received contributions from all 12 individuals that stepped onto the hardwood as each player scored at least two points.
Muneer Newton (Fr., Philadelphia, Pa., Business Management) led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds. Chanze Cruesoe (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) joined him in double figures with 12 points and five assists.
Eddie Daley (Grad., DeWitt, Mich., Master’s of Organizational Leadership) recorded eight points and nine rebounds, while Malik Edwards (Fr., Drexel Hill, Pa., Business Management) chipped in seven points.
Alongside fellow non-starter Pennington, Daniel Autrey (Jr., Detroit, Mich., Business Management) and Rodrigo Soares (So., Dallas, Texas, Sports Management) guided the bench with seven and six points, respectively.
The hard-fought battle witnessed both teams being forced into numerous mistakes, including a total of 42 turnovers (22 for WPU). The Statesmen also overcame a subpar effort at the charity stripe, going just 8-for-15; EU was quite competent at 15-for-19.
“This was a huge win for us,” Head Coach John Henry said. “I wish we would have finished the game better, but the outcome was a win. Our assistant coaches did a great job of preparation for tonight.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Dubuque Monday to face Clarke in Heart play at 7:30 p.m.
