Second Half Comeback Propels Statesmen to Win
Mario Manuel went on an impressive 10 straight point run to bring the Statesmen within 1 point of the Owls.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team hosted the William Woods Owls on Saturday in their final tune-up before the start of Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
#2 WPU (4-0) took down the Owls (2-3) 82-77 in a close battle that went down to the last few possessions. The navy and gold outshot their opponents .460-.338 in route to the victory.
William Woods is a notoriously solid basketball program that competes in the AMC and recently defeated Grand View 72-63.
The Statesmen had problems getting into a rhythm in the first half turning the ball over 17 times and getting outrebounded 25-20. Despite the slow start William Penn was able to weather the storm and find themselves in striking distance at the half only trailing by four, 40-36.
The Owls came out strong opening up a 12-point lead on two different occasions but the navy and gold started to make the necessary adjustments and began cutting into the deficit when Mario Manuel (So., Des Moines, Iowa, Sports Management) went on an impressive run that saw him net 10 straight points to bring the Owl lead down to one, 60-59.
Finally, William Penn would complete the comeback and take the lead late at the 3:49 mark on a pair of Abrian Edwards (Austin, Texas) free-throws. Marlon Alcindor (Sr., Queens, N.Y.) would hit the dagger three-point shot and give the Statesmen a seven-point lead, their largest of the game, 77-70 with 1:12 to play. From there WPU would hit their free-throws to ultimately seal the game.
The second half comeback was due in part to a blistering hot offensive attack in which the Statesmen shot .533 from the field and .455 from beyond the arc.
Alcindor was the team’s leading scorer producing 19 points while going 7-15 from the field. Edwards had an overall solid outing posting a 16-9-6 line. Omar Sherman (Sr., Duncanville, Texas) finished the night with 15 points to go along with 8 rebounds and with that incredible 10-point stretch, Manuel rounded the quartet of double-digit scorers with 12 points.
“We were not supposed to win today. Missing 16 free throws, giving up 18 offensive rebounds and committing 17 turnovers is not a recipe for winning any game, but found a way to win” Head Coach John Henry said. “We are a work in progress and hopefully we figure some things out soon” he later added.
Next Up: William Penn will hit the road and open up Heart of America Athletic Conference play in Canton, Missouri as they play the Culver-Stockton Wildcats.
