Buzzer-Beaten Fails to Fall in 86-85 Loss to St. Ambrose
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–Alan Douglas (Sr., Champaign, Ill., Lakeland CC) had 29 points for the second game in a row, but a baseline jumper by Austin Emerson (Jr., Des Moines, Southwestern CC) would not drop as time expired and the Statesmen basketball team again lost a tight one, this time 86-85 to St. Ambrose in Midwest Collegiate Conference play Saturday.
William Penn (6-8, 1-2 MCC) took its fourth and final lead of the game on a three-pointer by Taylor Stoutner (Jr., Keota, Keota HS) with 1:17 left, but could not close it out, losing its fourth game of the year by four points or less.
The home team was strong in the early going, pulling out to a 16-8 lead just 3:53 into the afternoon. The advantage remained with the navy and gold throughout much of the first half, eventually standing at 49-44 at the break.
William Penn extended the margin to a game-high 12 points with 17:59 left in regulation, but then the Fighting Bees (6-5, 3-0 MCC) ever so slowly began to nip at the deficit.
St. Ambrose recaptured the lead twice with about seven minutes left, but then the hosts went on a mini tear to lead 82-78 with 3:30 still on the clock.
With its final rally, the visitors scored six in a row to go up by two at 84-82 just prior to Stoutner’s trifecta.
St. Ambrose then took the ball to the other end and Chris Donnelly made a layup with only seven seconds left.
Following a timeout, Emerson took the inbounds pass and dribbled quickly down the floor, reaching the baseline before pulling up for a fairly open jumper. It unfortunately spun around the rim, but did not fall through the netting as the horn sounded.
After a spectacular first half of shooting (55.2%), the Statesmen went cold and finished the contest at 42.2%, while the Fighting Bees hit 46.0% of their attempts. Both teams controlled the ball well (WPU with 11 turnovers, 13 for SAU), but both also left a lot of points at the charity stripe. The Statesmen were just 22-of-32 at the line, while St. Ambrose was even worse at 19-of-32.
Douglas was again the offensive leader for his team, making 10-of-16 field goals, hitting his only three-pointer, and going 8-of-10 at the line. He also dished out a team-best six assists.
Unfortunately, the senior injured his forearm late in the game. While the extent of his injury is yet to be determined, it is likely he will miss significant time.
Stoutner finished with 17 points, including knocking down five three-pointers, while Emerson and Blake Walker (So., Rose Garden, Ga., Campbell HS) each managed 13 points. Walker and Arman Rasul (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Illinois-Chicago), who added six points, stole two passes apiece.
William Penn held a nominal 42-41 rebounding edge.
“This was a great game with a great atmosphere,” Head Coach John Henry said. “I do not know why this keeps happening to us, but I hope there is a silver lining somewhere down the road.”
“I love this team and how hard they work,” Henry added. “I just wish they could enjoy a tight win in a big ball game. I know it will come and we will keep working to make it happen.”
Next: The Statesmen are off until after Christmas. The team resumes play on Saturday, December 31 when it travels to Lamoni to face Graceland in its final non-conference game of the year. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on New Year’s Eve.
