Statesmen Pass First Big Test in Win Over Undefeated Rocky Mountain
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Aberdeen, S.D.–The William Penn men’s basketball team shot the ball well enough to overcome some deficiencies as it won a battle of unbeatens, holding off Rocky Mountain 94-87 at the Presentation Isreal-Strong Classic Saturday.
#3 WPU (10-0) won its first 10 contests of the year for the second time in school history (started 14-0 in 2012-2013) by outshooting the Battlin’ Bears 55.4%-43.6%.
The navy and gold were especially hot in the first half, knocking down 67.9% of their attempts. Unfortunately, RMC, which trailed 48-42 at halftime, stayed close with strong rebounding and by taking advantage of takeaways.
WPU never trailed in the matchup, but it was tied once at 61-61 inside of 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The Statesmen regrouped, though, and went on a 14-2 run to pull away, including seven points from Brandon Trotter (Sr., Louisville, Ky., Kinesiology) and five from JC Washington (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sociology).
The Battlin’ Bears (6-1) refused to go away, producing a late rally, but could not get any closer than a five-point margin.
As aforementioned, despite shooting well, the high-scoring Statesmen were unable to cruise past Rocky Mountain as they matched their season low in points. RMC made it a contest by tying WPU with 36 rebounds, including a 15-7 edge on the offensive end that led to a 17-6 advantage in second-chance points.
William Penn also had ball control issues with 17 turnovers (14 for RMC) which led to the Battlin’ Bears outscoring the navy and gold 20-12 in points off turnovers.
Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) carried the Statesmen with 30 points (season high for WPU) on 11-for-21 shooting, including going 5-for-9 from behind the arc. The senior just missed a double-double by also posting nine rebounds, while recording team highs in assists (3) and steals (3) as well.
Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation) was next for WPU with 17 points; he was 5-for-5 at the free-throw line. A lack of fouls led to the squads combining for just 27 total free throws with the Statesmen ending up 14-for-18 (Rocky Mountain was only 6-for-9).
Washington managed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds; he also blocked five shots in the victory.
Trotter and Jovontae Carleton (Jr., El Cerrito, Calif., Sociology) narrowly missed double figures with nine points apiece, while Mikeal Donaldson (Sr., Columbia, S.C.) tallied eight and Corbin Medley (Sr., Rogersville, Mo., General Accounting) contributed seven.
“I am very happy with this win against a quality opponent on a neutral floor,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We must improve on this moving forward, though. It is still much better to learn while winning than having to learn while losing.”
Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa next Wednesday to open Heart of America Athletic Conference play by hosting Mount Mercy at 7:30 p.m.
