Statesmen Overcome Cold Shooting And Injuries

Brandon Beasley, seen here at the charity stripe, earned himself a double double while playing injured on Wednesday.

Point Lookout, Missouri – It was a day for upsets, and the Statesmen were next in line to be the 4th upset if McPherson had its way, eventually winning 71-65.

In a game that initially saw Penn shoot out to a small lead, ended up being a back and forth battle that had McPherson up by 6, and it looked like, at times, that Penn may still not make it past the first round – something that has haunted every other Penn team over the years.

“Obviously we’re going to need to be better on Friday,” William Penn Head Coach John Henry said of the team’s performance on Wednesday.

The Statesmen shot only 36.9%, but focused on rebounding and getting second and third shots to help them overcome the cold shooting.

Brandon Beasley spent the game nursing a sprained foot that he injured during practice when the team arrived in southern Missouri.

“I took a bad step and I tweaked it,” Beasley said of the injury. “It was going through my head that I might not be able to play.”

Henry and Beasley both praised their William Penn trainer for helping get Beasley to the point he could play.

On getting past the first round, Beasley said, “It’s definitely a good thing to get that first win in the first round, but we still have to keep our focus.”

The Statesmen take on Bethel at noon on Friday, and can been seen on MCG channel 7, or on the radio with KBOE.