WPU Slips Past Simpson for Sixth Straight

William Penn University Athletics

William Penn University Athletics

Indianola–Erik McGee (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Elementary Education) was one of two Statesmen men’s cagers with a double-double as William Penn rallied for an 84-74 non-conference win over Simpson Wednesday.

On Turkey Day Eve, the seventh-ranked Statesmen (6-4) gave thanks for McGee and Marc Wilson (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.) who both managed double-doubles to guide WPU back from down eight points midway through the second half. McGee scored 12 points with a game-high 13 rebounds, while Wilson poured in 15 points with ten rebounds. Two blocks and two steals were credited to McGee as well.

The visitors led 16-7 early, but Simpson (0-6) matched its nickname by ‘storm’-ing back to go up 39-30. Fortunately, eight in a row pulled William Penn to within one at halftime, 39-38.

Simpson extended its advantage to eight on three occasions in the second stanza with the last eight-point edge coming at 59-51 with 11:29 remaining. The Statesmen did not fold, though, posting a 14-5 run to recapture the lead for good. The navy and gold were unable to pull away until the very end however. Up just three at 77-74 with 1:34 on the clock, the final 94 ticks were all WPU as it tallied the last seven points.

William Penn, which has won six in a row, outshot its host 47.7%-45.0%, including a 51.7%-44.4% edge after intermission.

Although his teammates slightly stole the show (and the opening of this story) with their double-doubles, Alec Schwab (Jr., Peru, Ill., Business Management) actually paced his team in scoring for the second-straight contest. The junior managed 18 points off the bench, highlighted by three three-pointers. Schwab matched McGee with two blocks.

Blake Walker (Sr., Rose Garden, Physical Education) hit double figures as well with 12 points and five assists.

Kelly Madison (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, Physical Education) finished with nine points, while Kevin Fay (Sr., Hennepin, Ill., Elementary Education) added seven after missing two games. Tyler Stahle (So., Bountiful, Utah, Business Management) had six points in the win.

The Statesmen overcame two more turnovers (10-8), which led to a 10-8 Simpson margin in points off turnovers. A 47-32 rebounding edge was established by William Penn, though, which was good for 15-9 mark in second-chance points.

“We were sluggish tonight, but got the win,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Erik played the best game of his collegiate career.”

Next: William Penn returns home Friday to host non-conference foe Central Christian (Mo.) as part of the William Penn Classic. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

Posted by on Dec 2 2013. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

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