Madison’s 33 Too Little in Loss to #23 Ashford
William Penn University Athletics
Clinton–Kelly Madison (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa, Physical Education) had a monster evening, but could not lift the Statesmen men’s basketball team to an upset in an 85-74 loss to #23 Ashford in non-conference action Wednesday.
William Penn (14-9) failed to battle past a 49.1%-39.7% shooting disadvantage in its final game outside of league play. A 23-9 deficit in made free throws was also to blame in the setback to the Saints (20-7).
The visitors found other ways to hang with Ashford, though, collecting seven more offensive rebounds (17-10) that led to a 19-14 edge in second-chance points (both sides had 37 rebounds). WPU also scored one more point off of turnovers (17-16) by committing one less mistake (13-14) than the home team.
In a game that featured six ties and 15 lead changes, the Saints blew out to a 40-26, but the Statesmen rallied to a 41-37 halftime score.
Still down 47-39, the navy and gold went on a 14-3 run to retake the lead. Things went back and forth over the next few minutes until a 17-4 AU run over a span of 5:56 put the Saints up for good. William Penn cut the deficit to five in the final minute, but four unsuccessful possessions at the end sunk the visitors. The Statesmen were outshot 52.4%-36.1% in the second stanza.
Madison made shots from all over the court, finishing 12-for-23 overall and 8-for-15 from behind the arc for a game-high 33 points. The junior also added two steals.
Blake Walker (Sr., Rose Garden, Physical Education) was well behind Madison in the point column, but his near triple-double line of 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists was equally incredible.
Marc Wilson (Sr., Los Angeles, Calif., Physical Education), with eight points and two blocks, and Erik McGee (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Elementary Education), with six points, also contributed Wednesday.
“We did not make plays on either end of the floor during a crucial four-minute stretch in the second half–Ashford did,” Head Coach John Henry said.
Next: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to host Clarke in Midwest Collegiate Conference action at 3 p.m.
