Statesmen Hold Off Feisty Simpson 92-76
William Penn University Athletics
Oskaloosa–William Penn’s starting five charged the men’s basketball squad to a 92-76 non-conference win over Simpson Tuesday.
#18 WPU (8-3) returned to its winning ways, courtesy of all but two points from its starters.
The hosts scored the night’s first nine points, but the Storm (3-2) weathered the early storm and took their only lead at 27-25. The Statesmen bounced right back with 12 unanswered and never trailed again, including being up 51-44 at halftime.
A 14-1 start in the second period pushed the advantage to a game-best 20 points. Unfortunately, Simpson refused to go quietly and narrowed the deficit to six (70-64) with nine minutes remaining.
WPU had enough in its tank down the stretch, though, and won with a 47.2%-46.3% shooting edge. The Statesmen outrebounded the Storm 44-31 (15-4 offensive) which led to a 13-4 mark in second-chance points. Fourteen SC turnovers were also converted into 21 points by the victors. Both teams connected on 13 three-pointers.
Kelly Madison (Sr., Des Moines, Iowa, Physical Education) guided all scorers with 27 points on 9-for-14 shooting; he also stole three passes. Antione Howard (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis., Physical Education) tallied 22 points, while Oliver Wells (Sr., Cedar Hill, Texas, Business Management) managed 18 points and dished out eight assists.
Alec Schwab (Sr., Peru, Ill., Business Management) barely missed a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Schwab and Madison both hit five trifectas. Erik McGee (Sr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Elementary Education) added six points and also pulled down a contest-high ten rebounds. He matched Madison with three thefts.
Sam Sykes (Jr., Houston, Texas, Business Management) was unavailable due to an ankle injury.
“Our starters were great, but we need our bench to play more and play better,” Head Coach John Henry said. “I thought Erik was awesome tonight; that kid works so hard.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Oskaloosa Saturday to host Crossroads (Minn.) in non-conference play at 1 p.m.
