Navy and Gold Drop Road Matchup with #17 Peru State

William Penn University Athletics

by Wade Steinlage

Peru, Neb.–The Statesmen men’s basketball team may have turned the corner with 53 points after intermission, but unfortunately could not overcome a disappointing first half as it fell 85-68 to #17 Peru State in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.

WPU (16-5, 10-5 Heart), which fell into third place in the league (second in the North Division) with the setback, was outshot 49.2%-39.1%, including hitting just 17.2% in the opening 20 minutes.

The navy and gold trailed 39-15 at the break, and the margin grew to 32 at one point, but the visitors, who shot 57.1% in the second stanza, were able to trim the deficit to 13 at 74-61 with 4:53 still remaining. Unfortunately, William Penn was unable to draw any closer.

WPU held a 34-33 rebounding edge, which led to a 17-12 advantage in second-chance points. That was negated, however, by its struggles in ball control as it committed 18 turnovers (14 for PSC), helping the Bobcats (16-5, 11-4 Heart) to a 22-10 mark in points off mistakes.

Omar Sherman (Sr., Duncanville, Texas) had a massive second half, scoring all of his team-high 22 points in the latter period. The senior, who was 9-for-15 from the floor, also pulled down a game-best 14 rebounds for a double-double.

Darius Wheeler (Sr., Jonesboro, Ga., Sports Administration) hit three of his squad’s five three-pointers en route to 15 points, while Abrian Edwards (Sr., Austin, Texas, Kinesiology) hit the other two as part of a 12-point outing. Edwards dished out five assists Saturday as well.

Shamar Bailey-DeCoteau (Jr., Toronto, Ontario, Undecided) added six points off the bench.

The Statesmen helped their cause with a strong free-throw performance, going 13-for-16, while Peru State was just 9-for-16 at the stripe.

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Wednesday to host Clarke in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.