Statesmen Eclipse Century Mark in Road Win
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Dubuque–The offense clicked along as it has all year as the William Penn men’s basketball team defeated Clarke in a high-scoring Heart of America Athletic Conference game 106-96 Wednesday.
The #1-ranked Statesmen (17-1, 7-1 Heart) did not let their new top rating go to their heads as they led by double digits most of the night, holding off a game Pride crew that was looking for the mega upset.
It was a back-and-forth battle early on as CU (9-10, 2-6 Heart) claimed its third and final edge at 11-10. The visitors recaptured the advantage for good two possessions later as they mounted a 16-2 run over the next 3:03.
WPU led 54-43 at halftime and pushed its margin to as much as 19 points early in the second half, but Clarke refused to be a willing partner in a rout.
With the contest still well in hand at 93-80 (6:12 remaining), the Pride rattled off seven unanswered points during a short span of 2:11 and were suddenly down just two scores.
The home squad stayed within striking distance down the stretch, but could never get closer than the six-point deficit. William Penn, guided by Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) with 24 points, finally put the game on ice with a mini 5-0 run in the waning seconds. Shaw was nearly perfect, going 10-for-13 from the floor (2-for-3 3-PT) in addition to making both free throws.
The stats tell a peculiar story, not one that should have finished with WPU having to hold off a late charge. The Statesmen outshot the Pride 57.4%-42.3%, including a 50.0%-33.3% clip behind the arc. The visiting crew was outrebounded 36-35, but had a 14-9 mark in second-chance points. William Penn also committed four fewer turnovers (12-16), leading to a 23-16 advantage in points off mistakes.
The lone outlier was that the Statesmen had numerous chances at the free-throw line, but connected at just a 58.8% clip (20-for-34), while Clarke was outstanding at 90.9% (20-for-22). JC Washington (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sociology) posted a strong double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, but suffered the most at the charity stripe with a 2-for-9 outing. The senior also blocked a pair of shots Wednesday.
Headlined by a trio of trifectas, Aakim Saintil (Sr., West Orange, N.J., Business Management) was right behind Shaw for the team lead in points with 22; he dished out six assists as well.
Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation) matched Washington with 18 points, while Jovontae Carleton (Jr., El Cerrito, Calif., Sociology) (12 points) and Mikeal Donaldson (Sr., Columbia, S.C.) (11 points) also eclipsed double figures. Carleton and Shaw both tallied three steals in the win.
WPU earned its sixth win in a row despite being without the services of Corbin Medley (Sr., Rogersville, Mo., General Accounting) and Brandon Trotter (Sr., Louisville, Ky., Kinesiology), who are both nursing injuries. The duo is expected back on Saturday against Baker, however.
“This was a fast-paced, wild ride of a game,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Clarke is a good team and we are happy with this road win.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to host Baker in Heart play at 4 p.m.
