WPU Falters in Second Half in Loss to Baker

Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team put Baker on upset alert in the first half, but could not replicate that performance after intermission in an 82-64 Heart of America Athletic Conference loss Saturday.

The Statesmen (5-20, 4-17 Heart) trailed by just four at halftime, but the hosts, who were outshot 46.4%-37.7%, failed to keep pace with the Wildcats (19-6, 17-4 Heart) down the stretch.

The home squad trailed by as many as 17 points in the first stanza at 30-13 with 8:31 to go. Still down big at 35-19, the navy and gold righted the ship and went on a 12-0 run and headed into the locker room behind by just four at 35-31.

A three-pointer by Manny Hammonds (Fr., Des Moines, Iowa, New Media) to open the second half then pulled WPU to within one point, but BU finally got going and quickly put distance between the teams once again.

The Statesmen were still in range at 50-44 inside of 12 minutes left in regulation, but the Wildcats, who narrowly outrebounded William Penn 41-40, were too strong in the closing moments and finished the victory.

As much as anything in the stat sheet, turnovers plagued the home squad as WPU committed 19 mistakes (15 for Baker) and the Wildcats made their hosts pay with a 24-11 edge in points off turnovers.

Hammonds guided the navy and gold with 19 points, including a trio of trifectas. Jayvin Brown (So., Waldorf, Md., Wellness and Recreation) was next with 10 points and a squad-best eight rebounds. Willie Anderson (Jr., Norristown, Pa., Applied Computer Science) matched Brown with 10 points.

The duo of Ontario Chapman (Sr., Evanston, Ill., Psychology) and Cam Marshall (So., San Diego, Calif., Sports Management) both managed nine points, while Marcellus Bryant (Fr., Inglewood, Calif., Exercise Science) tallied eight assists.

Next Up: William Penn travels to Peru, Neb. next Saturday to face Peru State in Heart play at 4 p.m.