Alcindor Scores 29 as WPU Blasts Wildcats in Heart Opener
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Canton, Mo.–Marlon Alcindor (Sr., Queens, N.Y.) was nearly perfect from the field and five others joined him in double digits as the Statesmen men’s basketball team pounded Culver-Stockton 105-78 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup Wednesday.
#2 William Penn (5-0, 1-0 Heart) remained perfect by outshooting the Wildcats (3-2, 0-1 Heart) 58.6%-38.4% and outrebounding them 51-28.
The sides exchanged a pair of buckets early on, but the navy and gold took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Omar Sherman (Sr., Duncanville, Texas). While C-SC kept it close throughout much of the opening stanza, the Statesmen began to pull away with an 11-3 run to go into the break ahead 56-43.
WPU continued to keep the home squad at a comfortable distance for the first seven minutes of the latter period. Up 72-57 though, the visitors finally made their patented run, tallying 27 of the next 32 points for the easy ‘W’.
William Penn overcame a rough outing at the charity stripe–going just 12-for-23–by making 11 of its 21 three-pointers. Alcindor had a huge part of that effort as he finished 7-for-8 from behind the arc en route to a contest-high 29 points. The senior was 10-for-11 overall in the win.
Although they were not as productive in the scoring column, Sherman and Abrian Edwards (Austin, Texas) were just as integral Wednesday as each recorded a double-double. Sherman posted 15 points and a game-high 12 rebounds (two blocks as well), while Edwards narrowly missed out on his second triple-double of the campaign, ending up with 11 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals.
Q Cager (Fr., Hopkinsville, Ky.) headed another trio in double figures with 17 off the bench, while fellow non-starter Mario Manuel (So., Des Moines, Iowa, Sports Management) wound up with 14. Darius Wheeler (Sr., Jonesboro, Ga., Sports Administration) was also solid with 10 points and six assists.
A telling sign that is was definitely William Penn’s night came in the turnover battle. Despite committing two more turnovers than C-SC (14-12), the navy and gold still outscored their foe 17-11 in points off mistakes.
“This was a really good team win on the road against a quality opponent,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We shared the ball tonight and rebounded well.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to host Evangel in Heart action at 2 p.m.
