Statesmen Come Up Short Against Culver-Stockton

Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team couldn’t keep pace with Culver-Stockton, falling 90-79 in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup Wednesday night.

The Statesmen (9-12, 6-11 Heart) started strong, jumping out to a 5-2 lead before the Wildcats (4-16, 4-12 Heart) evened the score at 9-9. Both teams traded baskets until WPU surged ahead with a 17-5 run. However, C-SC responded with a 19-9 stretch of their own, nearly flipping the lead before the Statesmen entered halftime with a narrow 39-37 advantage.

Justin Bradley (Jr., Okinawa, Japan, Biology) led WPU at the break with nine points, while Manny Hammonds (So., Des Moines, Iowa, New Media) added seven.

Culver-Stockton carried its momentum into the second half, opening with a 13-5 run to grab a 50-44 lead. The Statesmen fought back, tying the game at 52-52 after an 8-2 run, but the Wildcats quickly reclaimed control. The teams remained locked in a tight battle, with WPU trailing 76-72 before C-SC delivered a decisive 14-7 run to secure the victory.

Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) led the Statesmen with 17 points, including 12 in the second half. Hammonds continued his strong offensive performance with 16 points, while Roy Jones III (Sr., Pensacola, Fla., Psychology) and Bradley contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively.

Shooting struggles continued to plague WPU, as the Statesmen hit just 39.2% from the field and 24.0% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, C-SC capitalized on its chances, shooting 42.4% overall and 32.3% from deep. Free throws proved costly, with WPU converting only 68.2% (15-for-22), while the Wildcats thrived at the line, making 92.3% (24-for-26).

The Statesmen found success on the boards, outrebounding C-SC 44-40, led by Yarayah Evans (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y., Business Management) with 10 rebounds. Turnovers were even at 11 apiece, but the Wildcats capitalized with 12 points off WPU’s mistakes, compared to just four for the Statesmen.

“We again were missing many guys from our roster, but as I keep saying whoever is in uniform has to play,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Hats off to Connor Davis (41 points) for an amazing performance. We could not stop him at all.”

Up Next: William Penn heads to Peru, Neb., Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. showdown against Peru State in another Heart of America matchup.

Posted by on Jan 30 2025. Filed under College Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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