Statesmen Hold Off Grinnell 131-116, Limit Record-Holder Taylor to 21 Points
William Penn’s Brandon Beasley prepares to swat away a shot by new scoring record holder Grinnell’s Jack Taylor during their Sunday afternoon shootout. (Ken Allsup/Oskaloosa News)
Grinnell–The William Penn men’s basketball team avoided a setback in a major ‘trip-up’ game, defeating Grinnell 131-116 in non-conference action Sunday afternoon.
The #19 Statesmen improved to 12-0 just two days before the NAIA releases its first regular season top-25 poll. Equally notable was the fact the navy and gold limited this week’s national superstar Jack Taylor to only 21 points on 6-of-21 shooting. The Pioneer broke the national collegiate record with 138 points against Faith Baptist Bible on Tuesday.
Note: A recap of the William Penn-Grinnell game was on ESPN News Sunday night.
The visitors scored the game’s first ten points, only to allow Grinnell (3-1) back within one at 18-17. William Penn then scored nine unanswered again and never permitted the hosts to get closer than seven again.
Leading 64-55 at intermission, the Statesmen easily outshot their foes 62.5%-33.6%. They could never fully pull away, however, due to stiff Grinnell pressure that caused 36 turnovers. William Penn only attempted 14 three-pointers (made six), while the Pioneers let it fly over and over (18-of-65).
Both teams reached the charity stripe numerous times with the Statesmen going 25-of-39 and Grinnell finishing 22-of-29. The navy and gold held a 70-54 on the boards.
It is the record-tying seventh time William Penn has reached the century mark this year. Over the past three games, the Statesmen have scored 398 points, the most ever in a three-game stretch.
Ten Statesmen scored on Sunday, highlighted by Brandon Beasley (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Physical Education) with a double-double of 26 points and 17 rebounds (both career highs). Keith Steffeck (Sr., Marion, Iowa, Physical Education) also recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Steffeck also paced his squad with four blocks and three steals.
James Devlin (Sr., Tampa, Fla., Sociology) managed 17 points, while Lamonte Jenkins (Fr., Lake Charles, La., Business Management) had 15 and Kevin Fay (Jr., Hennepin, Ill., Education) added 14. Arman Rasul (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sociology) and Taylor Stoutner (Sr., Keota, Iowa, Physical Education) also reached double figures with 11 points apiece.
The trio of Blake Walker (Jr., Rose Garden, Ga., Physical Education), Davis Spielbauer (Sr., Wapello, Iowa, Physical Education), and Ross Howe (Jr., State Center, Iowa, Undecided) also contributed seven points to the cause.
Walker and Devlin both managed six assists.
An alley-oop dunk from Walker to Beasley ended the night and put an exclamation point on the victory.
“I am extremely proud of our guys,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We fought through injuries, cramping, foul trouble, and exhaustion tonight. We stuck together and gutted it out for a great win.”
Henry acknowledged Grinnell was not the only thing his team had to overcome as the hype of Jack Taylor’s performance brought national media, including ESPN, to central Iowa.
“All of that was quite of a distraction for us, so to overcome that was a great feeling,” Henry said. “I thought our athleticism and length bothered their entire offense and was a major factor. We had amazing support from our fans. They were loud and enthusiastic and pulled us through when we got tired.”
After starting the year by playing 12 games over the past 24 days, Henry’s group will receive a much-needed day off before getting back to work Tuesday. The Statesmen will be preparing for a road contest in Pella against Central Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
