Five Statesmen Reach Double Figures in Win Over Park
Parkville, Mo.–The William Penn men’s basketball team earned a road victory over the Park Pirates on Wednesday, defeating their hosts by a score of 107-81. The Statesmen are now 24–1 on the season and own a 15-1 mark in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
WPU struggled in the opening minutes as it only converted two field goals in the first three minutes of play, as Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology) and Q Cager (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky., Wellness and Recreation) had one apiece. Although the visitors had trouble finding points, the hosts had a few issues of their own, but were able to convert on a few second-chance opportunities to give them a 17-14 lead through seven minutes.
After Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) equalized with a splash from downtown, Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) followed suit with a three to give the Statesmen their first lead. The game remained close as the two teams continued to trade blows, but Newman hit back-to-back triples to end the half, giving the navy and gold a 48-42 lead entering halftime.
Newman had caught fire to close out the first half. After missing his first four attempts from downtown, he sank five of his next seven on his way to 21 first-half points. Cager also had a big first half, going 4-5 from the field and reaching double-digits as well with 10.
The Pirates halved their deficit to begin the second half, but Cager stayed hot with another bucket then found Frederick Jackson (Sr., Killeen, Texas, Interdisciplinary Studies) for a dunk. Cager was a force to begin the half, adding another two points and two assists. He contributed in some way to William Penn’s first six scores of the half, and the navy and gold started to slowly separate from Park.
By the midway point of the half, WPU held a 21 point lead, and continued to pile-on down the stretch as Park never again threatened to come back.
Newman led all scorers with 28 points, going 6-14 from downtown and 9-18 overall. Blaylock turned in a double-double with 17 points and 12 boards, while Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Sports Management) tallied 10 points as well.
Cager had an outstanding overall game, posting 16 points while earning five rebounds and eight assists. Watkins delivered 16 points off the bench, going 7-9 from the field.
The Statesmen shot 56.3% for the game while holding the Pirates to a 41.3% clip, and won the battle of the boards 46-31.
“Q Cager’s energy from the start was infectious,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Our depth also wore them down. Not too many teams can run 11 good players in a game.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen are back at home on Saturday for a matchup with the Graceland Yellowjackets, with first serve scheduled for 4 PM. In their first meeting, William Penn came away with a 94-88 victory.
