Offense and Defense Click as WPU Advances to Semifinals
Oskaloosa — The Heart of America Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament tipped off Thursday night with four games across the league. William Penn hosted the Pioneers of MidAmerica Nazarene for the second time this season and MNU executed early on. However, they could not score with the Statesmen for all 40 minutes and the navy and gold pulled away late in the first half. With six players in double figures, the Statesmen advance to the semifinals, as they took care of the Pioneers 98-68. William Penn is now 22-1 on the year.
Both teams struggled early to get a shot to drop, as there was no score over the first three minutes and change. The Pioneers (14-8) then dropped a three to open the scoring. Q Cager (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky., Wellness and Recreation) danced his way to the rim to make it 3-2, but MNU stuck to its game plan and frustrated William Penn early. Going up 10-2, the visitors silenced the crowd and looked ready to challenge for an upset.
With 13:34 to go, Ty Majlik-Autry (Jr., St. Petersburg, Fla., Business Management) started a run for WPU with a free throw. Nathan Gehring (Sr., Waukee, Iowa, Business Management) made an offensive rebound the next time down and scored to make it 13-8. Brandon Faison (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Sports Management) knocked down a jumper from the wing before Majlik-Autry tied it with an uncontested triple.
However, the visitors stormed right back to a five-point lead after the first tie of the game, holding a tthree-pointedge at the midway mark of the first.
Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology) and Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) both made shots to trim the lead to one. Left open beyond the perimeter, Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) buried a three to put WPU up for the first time at 20-18 with 8:05 left in the first half. William Penn went from being down 18-13 to going on a 30-11 run over the final 10 minutes of the frame. With even production and a strong rebounding game, WPU took a 43-29 lead into halftime.
The team quickly went from shooting poorly early to ending the period shooting 48% from the floor. They burned the Pioneers on the glass, taking advantage of 10 offensive rebounds and 18 on the defensive side, compared to 11 total rebounds for MNU. Blaylock led the way with nine points, while he and Majlik-Autry both had six rebounds.
MidAmerica Nazarene got on the board first in the second half, but it would be WPU the rest of the way. Ahmad Pender (Sr., Chicago, Ill, Wellness and Recreation) answered with a three of his own and Blaylock splashed down from deep on the next possession. Eddie Daley (Sr., DeWitt, Mich., Business Management) and Newman pushed the lead to 22 points at 53-31.
Staying ahead the rest of the way, the pace of the Statesmen paid off handsomely. Gaining a 68-37 lead with 11:25 to go, the team forced MNU into bad shots and soon were out in transition, maintaining a 30-plus point lead the rest of the way. With some big slams and a couple threes from Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management), the team swam away with the 98-68 victory.
The team shot exactly 50% from the floor (41-82), overcoming being 10-37 from beyond the arc (27%) and 6-13 free-throws (46%). They dominated the rebound charts with 58 total boards (20 offensive, 38 defensive) compared to 26 total rebounds for MNU.
Majlik-Autry record his first double-double as a Statesmen with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Blaylock joined him with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Newman had 13 points while Faison added 10. The two points guards also finished with good numbers, as Cruesoe had 13 points, four assists, and five rebounds, while Cager had 10 points, four assists, and five rebounds. Pender had nine points and six boards, while Watkins contributed eight points. Daley tallied five rebounds, while Gehring pulled down six to end the night.
“Our depth was evident,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Our second five guys tonight were awesome in the first half, especially Ty Majlik-Autry and Chanze Cruesoe.”
Next Up: The semifinal match will feature the Park Pirates coming to Oskaloosa this Saturday, February 27. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
