Statesmen Reach Another Final with Win Over Graceland
Torren Jones with the high percentage shot over Graceland on Saturday night. Penn won 77-61 and moves to 29-3 on the season, while maintaining their #2 NAIA D1 ranking.
William Penn University Men’s Basketball team will face Mount Mercy on Tuesday night at 7pm, in hopes of sweeping both the conference and conference tournament.
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team is once again returning to the league tournament finals after defeating #5 seed Graceland 77-61 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals Saturday.
With the victory, top-seeded WPU (29-3) will be making its fifth-consecutive championship game appearance and its 11th trip in the last 14 years. Beyond trying to defend their tournament crown from last year, the navy and gold are seeking their fourth title in the last five seasons.
The only thing between the Statesmen and another championship will be #3 seed Mount Mercy (21-10) in Tuesday’s final. The contest, which is set for 7 p.m. in Oskaloosa, will be broadcast by the Niles Media Group on ESPN3, KSMO-TV (Kansas City market), and Mediacom Channel 22 (IA, IL, MO, KS). While the game will not be on MCG’s cable network, but its customers can still watch the game on ESPN3 through MCG’s internet.
Saturday’s matchup was a fierce battle (included five technical fouls), even if the final score did not suggest it. There were only two ties and two lead changes, all occurring in the first six minutes.
The Statesmen went up for good at 10-7 and built the lead to 28-17 before settling on a 39-30 halftime edge. The hosts were still not out of the woods until the waning minutes as the Yellowjackets (20-12) narrowed the margin to two points at 55-53 with 10:28 remaining.
Still ahead only four at 59-55, the navy and gold closed strong by scoring 17 of the next 19 points to secure the victory, the program’s 10th in a row.
William Penn outshot Graceland 46.8%-34.3% and posted a 42-38 edge in rebounding. The Yellowjackets stayed in the contest with a solid effort on the offensive glass, outscoring the Statesmen 23-12 in second-chance points.
The home squad committed only 11 turnovers (13 for GU), leading the victors to an 11-5 mark in points off mistakes.
Jarvis Haywood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Business Management) guided all participants with 20 points, while Torren Jones (Sr., Chandler, Ariz., Sociology) joined him in double figures with 12 points in addition to three steals.
Jeremy Postell (Sr., Atlanta, Ga., Sociology) knocked down a team-best three three-pointers en route to nine points; Kordario Fleming (Sr., Memphis, Tenn., Physical Education) matched Postell with nine points of his own.
Kevin Smith (Sr., Baltimore, Md., Physical Education) added eight points, while Lionel Ellison (Sr., New Orleans, La., Kinesiology) was strong all-around with seven points and team highs in rebounds (9) and assists (5). Charles Knowles (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) finished with five points as well.
“I am so happy with this win,” Head Coach John Henry said. “This was an emotional and intense game. Playing in the conference tournament finals is a lot of fun, and I am glad this team gets to experience it.”
“I thought Jarvis and Kordario were great, especially in the second half,” Henry added. “We had a good, loud, and supportive crowd tonight. With our students being gone for spring break, we need as many fans from the community as possible to come out and help us on Tuesday.”
