Statesmen Fall Short in Second-Half Battle with No. 15 Northwestern
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team dropped its first game of the season in an 82-69 loss to No. 15 Northwestern in non-conference play Tuesday night.
WPU (2-1) held its own early against the undefeated Raiders (2-0), trading baskets and closing out the first half with a slim 36-34 lead. Despite a solid opening, the Statesmen trailed slightly in field goal percentage, shooting 42.4% compared to Northwestern’s 43.8%.
Manny Hammonds (So., Des Moines, Iowa, New Media) paced the team in the first half, putting up 10 points to keep the Statesmen in front.
The game shifted in the second half, however, as Northwestern came out strong and claimed the lead at the 12:07 mark, never looking back. WPU continued to shoot at a steady 42.4%, but Northwestern caught fire, hitting 63.3% from the floor in the second half to pull away.
The Statesmen excelled on the offensive boards, outrebounding the Raiders 16-11 and converting those into 21 second-chance points. However, Northwestern countered with 29 defensive rebounds, limiting William Penn’s opportunities.
Turnovers proved costly, with WPU committing 14 (compared to Northwestern’s 12), leading to an unbalanced 26-11 deficit in points off turnovers. Northwestern also controlled the paint, outscoring William Penn 50-30.
Hammonds, who was 6-for-11 from the field, led the Statesmen with 16 points. Isaac Hoberecht (Jr., Carl Junction, Mo.) followed with 14 points and five assists.
A total of nine Statesmen scored, including 23 points from the reserves. Malique Oates and Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark.) each tallied eight points, adding four and eight rebounds, respectively. Roy Jones III (Jr., Pensacola, Fla.) chipped in seven points, while Naysean Baisy (Jr., Seattle, Washington) posted five points and four rebounds.
“We really battled tonight, but battling wasn’t our goal–winning was,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Northwestern is an extraordinarily good team. We can learn a lot from tonight.”
Up Next: William Penn will look to bounce back on the road, facing Hannibal-LaGrange in Hannibal, Mo. Saturday at 3 p.m.
