Late Push Not Enough as WPU Falls to Central Methodist
Fayette, Mo.–The William Penn men’s basketball team mounted a furious late comeback Wednesday night, but Central Methodist escaped with a 102–99 victory in a Heart of America Athletic Conference showdown that came down to the final possession.
The Eagles (6–2, 2–0 Heart) grabbed the early momentum, stretching a 12–8 edge into a 29–20 lead midway through the first half. The Statesmen (5–3, 0–2 Heart) continued to claw back but trailed 58–48 at the break.
WPU shot 46.3% from the field in the opening 20 minutes but struggled from deep, connecting on just one three-pointer (7.7%). Daivion Boleware (Jr., Jackson, Mich., Psychology) led the way with 11 first-half points, while Chase Page (Sr., Melbourne, Australia, Business Management) added nine. Booka Sidibe (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Physical Education) dished out five first-half assists to fuel the offense.
The Statesmen stayed within striking distance but couldn’t erase a persistent CMU lead until the closing minutes. With 4:33 remaining, a free throw by Foday Sheriff (Jr., Upper Darby, Pa., Business Management) sparked a surge. Sidibe followed with three straight jumpers to pull the Navy and Gold within one possession.
Then, with 26 seconds to go, Sheriff drilled a go-ahead three — WPU’s first lead of the night — sending the bench into a frenzy. But CMU answered immediately and protected the advantage at the line to hold off the comeback attempt.
Donovan Rodriguez (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Sports Management) paced William Penn with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Sidibe (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Physical Education) fueled the offense with 16 points and nine assists. Boleware (14), Sheriff (13), and Javion Belle-McCrary (Sr., Reform, Ala., Sports Management) (11) joined them in double figures. Sheriff grabbed seven rebounds, with Boleware and Belle-McCrary each adding five boards. Belle-McCrary also dished out five assists to round out his strong night.
Despite the loss, the Statesmen excelled on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 42–36 — including 18 offensive boards that turned into 17 second-chance points. WPU also forced 17 turnovers and capitalized for 20 points.
The physical battle featured 59 combined fouls and 78 total free-throw attempts. The Statesmen shot 75.8% at the stripe to outperform CMU there, but the Eagles earned more opportunities, holding a 30–25 advantage in made free throws. Central Methodist also owned the perimeter, knocking down 38.1% of its threes compared to WPU’s 19%.
“We could not stop them from scoring most of the night. We showed some toughness to not give up, and quite honestly, we should have won this game,” said Head Coach John Henry. “We don’t have time to pout about it; we play again almost right away, this Friday.”
Up Next: WPU returns home Friday to host William Woods inside Penn Gymnasium at 6 p.m. for more Heart action.
