Statesmen Complete Season Sweep of Mustangs
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Cedar Rapids–It was far from textbook, but the William Penn men’s basketball team still managed to extend its winning streak to double digits with a 108-93 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory over Mount Mercy Wednesday.
#1 WPU (21-1, 11-1 Heart) has now claimed 10 straight triumphs; its last and only loss of the season came on December 2 via Peru State. Wednesday’s win marks the sixth time in the program’s history (all since 2012-2013) that it has won at least 10 games in a row. It is also the 14th time this winter that the Statesmen have hit the century mark.
The squad entered having lost two of its last three at Hennessey Rec Center and had a plethora of problems early, trailing 26-12 with 11:12 still left in the first half.
The navy and gold, who committed 14 first-half turnovers, battled back however by also turning the Mustangs (10-12, 3-9 Heart) over 15 times before break. William Penn eventually took its first lead of the night at 38-37 and then claimed the edge for good at 44-43; WPU was up 48-43 at intermission.
A totally different Statesmen crew hit the hardwood in the second stanza as the visitors pushed the margin to double figures within the first two minutes and were never threatened. The advantage eventually grew to as much as 23 points, despite the victors turning the ball over 11 more times in the second period (25 total). Fortunately, MMU also could not improve on its ball control issues, finishing with 27 errors. William Penn was more successful in turning those mistakes into points with a 15-6 edge.
WPU shot 52.4% overall (54.5% in the second half), but the Mustangs were also strong at 50.7%.
The stat of the game actually did not even impact the scoreboard very much as the Statesmen owned a 52-35 rebounding advantage. The visitors corralled 18 offensive caroms, but only tallied a 9-7 mark in second-chance points. JC Washington (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sociology) paced the winning side with 17 rebounds, while Mikeal Donaldson (Sr., Columbia, S.C.) eclipsed double figures as well with 10 boards.
Both players ended the evening with double-doubles as Donaldson had 18 points and Washington produced 17.
Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation) headlined William Penn’s scoring efforts with 21 points, while Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) matched Donaldson with 18 points. Thompson added eight assists and Shaw stole three passes.
The duo of D’Angelo Allen (Jr., Dallas, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) and Antonio Foster (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) joined the double-digit club as well with 10 points each.
All six players who hit double figures made at least half of their attempts Wednesday.
Aakim Saintil (Sr., West Orange, N.J., Business Management) only connected on two shots, but both were three-pointers on his way to nine points. The navy and gold overcame a rough showing from the perimeter at just 20.0%; conversely, WPU was a blistering 62.9% inside the arc.
The Statesmen recorded six blocks with Washington and Allen both ending up with two.
“We were very aggressive in the second half on both the defensive end and on the glass,” Head Coach John Henry said. “JC and Mike were awesome tonight.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to face Graceland in Heart action at 4 p.m.
