Douglas Nets 1,000 for Career, Not Enough to Upset Davenport in First Round
William Penn University Athletics
Point Lookout, Mo.–Alan Douglas (Sr., Champaign, Ill., Lakeland CC) simply took over in his final collegiate game, but #3 Davenport (Mich.) proved why it has been ranked in the top five all year by holding off the Statesmen 85-81 in the first round of the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championships Thursday.
William Penn (17-15) dropped to 0-3 all-time at the Championships, but not for lack of heart or effort. In a gutty performance, the navy and gold pushed the now 30-4 Panthers to the limit.
After a strong start, the Statesmen fell behind by double digits, but fought hard before the break to lead Davenport 33-32 at halftime. Keith Steffeck (Jr., Marion, Marion HS) was the offensive star at that juncture, scoring all of his 18 points before intermission.
On very few occasions is William Penn the less athletic squad on the court, but Davenport, clad with four all-conference players (three seniors), had athleticism in spades. That was especially on display in the second half as the Panthers again went up by double digits.
The lower-seeded Statesmen responded once again, though, and pulled to within striking distance late. Unfortunately, there just was not enough proverbial gas in the tank and their foes escaped with the win.
In a bittersweet moment, Douglas’ bucket in the final seconds not only pushed his game-high tally to 36 points, but more importantly, moved the senior into the 1,000-point club. He accomplished the feat in just two campaigns, including scoring 613 this winter for the third-highest mark in program history.
Douglas finished 12-of-20 from the field and 12-of-16 at the line, guiding his team to a shooting advantage of 46.7%-43.1%.
The team’s shooting success was nullified by a stingy Panther defense that forced 22 Statesmen turnovers (only nine for Davenport). Tremendous guard play helped the #3 seed to 11 steals.
Arman Rasul (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Illinois-Chicago) also reached double figures with 13 points, while Taylor Stoutner (Jr., Keota, Keota HS) connected on a squad-best three trifectas for nine points off the bench.
William Penn was stronger on the glass as well with a 42-30 rebounding advantage, helped by a team-high eight from Blake Walker (So., Rose Garden, Ga., Campbell HS).
“I am just so proud of this team and how hard they played tonight,” Head Coach John Henry said. “They gave a great effort and left it all out there. This was a really fun season and while we are all disappointed and sad that it is over, the future is extremely bright and I cannot wait for October to come.”
