Quintet Hits Double Figures as WPU Slips Past MNU
Omar Sherman helped to lead the Statesmen over Mid-American University.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team has faced plenty of adversity the past few weeks, but possibly the tide has turned for the navy and gold as they held off MidAmerica Nazarene 84-81 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.
The 14th-ranked Statesmen (17-5, 11-5 Heart) avenged a December loss to the Pioneers (11-11, 6-11 Heart), relying on lesser-known players to carry the load as others were unavailable for various reasons. The squad was outshot by the visitors 40.8%-40.6%, but held a 48-43 edge on the glass. Its biggest advantage came at the line, however, as WPU was 20-for-29, while MNU finished just 11-for-17.
MidAmerica Nazarene tallied the first two points of the night, but William Penn answered with 12 straight. The lead changed hands a few more times during the first stanza, eventually landing with the hosts up 40-36 at intermission.
The start of the latter half belonged to the Pioneers as they recaptured the edge with an 8-0 run. The Statesmen weathered the storm and took the advantage back for good with 11:41 remaining on a pair of charity-stripe shots by Ahmad Pender (So., Chicago, Ill., Exercise Science). The sophomore was a major spark off the bench with 14 points, including going 8-for-10 at the line.
WPU built the margin up to as large as nine in the subsequent minutes, only to witness MNU trim it back to one possession at 77-74 with 1:52 to go. A bucket by Omar Sherman (Sr., Duncanville, Texas), part of his 15-point performance, along with two free throws pushed the advantage back to seven inside of the final minute of regulation.
The Pioneers refused to go away and were again within three at the 50-second mark. Fortunately, now up four in the final ticks, Eddie Daley (So., DeWitt, Mich., Sports Management) rebounded a missed three-pointer and put both free attempts through the netting. Daley paced his squad with 18 points.
A MidAmerica Nazarene trifecta in the final second tried to make it interesting, but the Statesmen let the air out of the proverbial balloon by immediately getting the ball in to midcourt and dribbling it out to preserve the win, just WPU’s second in its last six outings.
Sherman completed a double-double with 15 rebounds as the victors held a slim 19-18 edge in second-chance points. In a fairly clean matchup, William Penn committed just nine turnovers compared to eight for MNU, but the Statesmen were more opportunistic with an 11-6 mark in points off turnovers.
Malyk Thomas (So., Copperas Cove, Texas, Computer Science), with 14 points, and Darius Wheeler (Sr., Jonesboro, Ga., Sports Administration), with 10, also hit the double-digit mark, while Marlon Alcindor (Sr., Queens, N.Y., Sociology) just missed joining the club with nine points in addition to two steals. Wheeler stole two passes as well in a 40-minute effort.
Pender and Thomas both recorded career highs in points Saturday.
Mario Manuel (So., Des Moines, Iowa, Sports Management) also contributed five points in the victory.
“I am so happy to get this win,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We were missing four players, but we gutted out a good win.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa next Monday to host Clarke in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.
