Statesmen Pick Up Road Victory Over Tigers
Mount Pleasant, Iowa–The William Penn men’s basketball team remained perfect to start the season, defeating the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers by a score of 104-92.
The Statesmen conceded an 8-5 lead early on, but quickly took the lead back 10-8 as Frederick Jackson (Sr., Killeen, Texas, Interdisciplinary Studies) made a layup and Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) sunk a triple. Jackson started the first half on a tear, as he accounted for five consecutive William Penn points en route to a 15-13 Statesmen lead.
For a four minute span, the navy and gold utilized a 15-2 run to really cushion their lead, taking a 27-15 advantage on a dunk by Muneer Newton (Fr., Philadelphia, Pa., Business Management) with nine minutes left. The offense never slowed up, as Jackson, Reyhan Cobb (Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Sociology), and Brandon Doss (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio, Sports Management) each went on their own four point runs to boost William Penn to halftime carrying a 52-35 lead.
At the half, Jackson and Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Systems) stood tied for the game-high mark with 11 points apiece, with Blaylock also adding seven rebounds to his line. The Statesmen shot at an even 50% pace for the half while holding their hosts to a 37.8% clip. The navy and gold also held a strong advantage on the boards, out-rebounding their opponents 25-15.
Jackson and Blaylock didn’t let the break slow them down, each converting a basket within the first minute of the second half. The Tigers kept trying to fight their way back in, but Malyk Thomas (Sr., Copperas Cove, Texas, Sports Management) hit a three and Blaylock added six straight William Penn points to keep the lead at 15.
The Tigers did finally chip the lead down to single digits, bringing the game as close as 74-69, but it was Chanze Cruesoe’s (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) turn to ring off four straight points, and Newman splashed another one from beyond the arc to extend the lead back to nine. Jackson went on another huge scoring run to push the lead out to 13, and the Statesmen were able to fend off the Tigers down the stretch to come away with a 12 point victory.
Blaylock led all scorers with 25 points, also contributing eight rebounds to the cause. Cruesoe finished with a double-double, totaling 15 points and 10 assists on the afternoon. Jackson also had a huge game, finishing with a season-high 20 points.
Newman and Malik Edwards (Fr., Drexel Hill, Pa., Business Management) each finished in double-digits as well, finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Thomas had a very well-rounded game, finishing with five points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
“25 assists on 36 baskets is really unreal,” said Head Coach John Henry. “We moved the ball well and didn’t care who scored. Fred was awesome today.”
What’s Next: The next time the Statesmen take the court will be in Penn Gymnasium for the annual Toilet Paper Game against the Grand View Vikings on Wednesday, December 1. Tipoff for the game is scheduled for 7:30 PM.
