Late Push Falls Short as William Penn Drops 88–84 Battle at Peru State
Peru, Neb.—The William Penn men’s basketball team mounted multiple comeback attempts but could not complete the rally, falling 88–84 to Peru State in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Saturday.
The Statesmen (9–5, 4–3 Heart) fell behind early as the Bobcats (7–7, 3–4 Heart) jumped out to an 18–11 advantage. William Penn responded by trimming the deficit to 23–22 before briefly taking a one-point lead following a three-pointer and a pair of free throws from Foday Sheriff (Sr., Upper Darby, Pa., Business Management). Peru State answered quickly, however, using an 11–2 run to regain control and build a 40–32 cushion. The teams traded possessions down the stretch of the half, with William Penn heading into the break trailing 47–42.
Despite shooting 41.7% from the field in the opening half, the Statesmen struggled to keep pace with Peru State’s 50.0% shooting and 47.1% clip from beyond the arc. Sherrif and Malik Larane (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Sports Management) led WPU with 16 points apiece at halftime.
William Penn continued to battle in the second half as the teams exchanged baskets, but the Bobcats maintained the lead until the 9:30 mark, when the Statesmen put together an 8–0 run to grab a 67–66 edge. Peru State responded once again, rebuilding its advantage to six points at 77–71. The Navy and Gold refused to fade, tying the contest at 81–81 and again at 84–84 in the closing minutes. However, Peru State made the decisive plays late to secure the four-point victory.
William Penn finished the game shooting 39.7% from the field and 25.0% from three-point range, while Peru State posted 53.6% shooting overall and connected on 43.5% from long distance.
Sheriff led all scorers with 29 points and 11 rebounds, recording another double-double. Larane added 22 points, while Alif Bass (Jr., Newark, N.J., Sports Management) chipped in 15 to round out the double-figure scorers.
Peru State held a narrow 37–32 edge on the glass, though William Penn controlled the offensive boards 9–6 and converted those opportunities into a 10–2 advantage in second-chance points. The Statesmen also forced 18 Bobcat turnovers, turning those mistakes into 29 points, while committing just 11 turnovers themselves.
“This one hurts really bad. We should have won this game,” said Head Coach John Henry. “So many things we could have done to win this game, and just didn’t. This one really hurts.”
Up Next: William Penn returns to Penn Gymnasium next Wednesday to host Mount Mercy in Heart play. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
