Larane Paces Statesmen in High-Scoring Victory
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team defeated Rockford 104-82 in a non-conference matchup Monday, surpassing the century mark for the third time this season.
The Statesmen (3-1) defeated Rockford for the second consecutive year, and just like last year, WPU found most of its success down low, outscoring the Regents (0-0) 60-32 in paint points. The squad created opportunities with its defensive pressure, forcing 14 Rockford turnovers while committing just nine of its own. That advantage translated into a 20-10 edge in points off turnovers for the Statesmen.
Both teams started slow with the first bucket coming just under three minutes into the game (17:07). The Regents clamed a 3-2 lead just thirty seconds later; this would be their only lead of the night. Both teams traded scores for the first 10 minutes until Jake Harbatkin (Fr., West Palm Beach, Fla., Kinesiology) knocked down back-to-back three-pointers, triggering a 11-2 run and a 25-15 WPU advantage.
Both squads struggled to find their rhythm offensively in the first half, but the navy and gold still managed to take a 48-33 lead into the break. The Statesmen shot 19-for-41 (46.3%) from the field, while the Regents went 12-for-36 (33.3%).
Unlike the first half, the Statesmen offense came ready to play in the second, scoring 17 points in the first five minutes of action to lead 65-50. The Regents never let WPU get too far ahead, but the home team was never truly threatened in the second half as it cruised to the 22-point victory.
Overall, William Penn held a 46.7%-39.5% shooting edge, while dominated the glass at 61-40. The hosts finished with a 25-12 advantage in second-chance points.
Malik Larane (Sr., Palmdale, Calif., Sports Management) once again carried the load offensively for the Statesmen, leading all scorers with 28 points and shooting a solid 12-for-23 for 52.2%, despite a 1-for-10 effort from beyond the arc. Larane headlined the defense as well with three steals.
As a squad, WPU was just 9-for-35 from the perimeter (25.7%), while Rockford was 12-for-37 (32.4%).
Maki Pettigrew (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Business Management) contributed 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting in a non-starting role, while Donovan Rodriguez (Sr., Philadelphia, Pa., Sports Management) added 11 points and dished out three assists. Alif Bass (Sr., Newark, N.J., Sports Management) and Harbatkin each chipped in nine points, while Ryan Robinson (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Business Management) added seven and Christian Darko (Fr., Allen, Texas, Civil Engineering) finished with five.
Joe Poyser (Jr., Wildwood, Fla., Elementary Education) anchored the Statesmen rebounders with 16, along with 10 points for a double-double.
“Our rebounding was much better than it’s been thus far in the early season,” Head Coach John Henry said. “I thought Joe Poyser made a huge impact tonight in his first start of the season.”
Up Next: William Penn heads to Sioux City, Iowa on Friday where they will take on Morningside at 7:00 p.m.
