Statesmen Suffer First Setback, Blaylock Eclipses 1,000 Points
Fayette, Mo.–The William Penn men’s basketball team suffered their first setback of the season at the hands of the Central Methodist Eagles, taking their first loss by a score of 79-73. The Statesmen move to 11-1 on the season and are now 3-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Systems) turned in a strong performance with 19 points and 15 rebounds. More importantly, his point total for the game pushed him up over the 1,000 point mark as a member of the Statesmen,
The navy and gold got on the board first thanks to a couple of free throws from Reyhan Cobb (Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Sociology), and added to their lead further from a Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich, Digital Communication) triple.
The Eagles came right back to tie the game, and neither team was able to go on a run. The hosts looked poised to take a big lead, but Newman came right back with back to back threes to make it a one point game once again.
The Statesmen briefly recaptured the lead 22-21, but the Eagles came roaring back with a 9-2 run to take a six point lead. WPU cut into the lead once again, but Central Methodist hit back to back buckets before halftime and entered the break with a four point lead, 34-30.
The Eagles maintained their momentum from the first half, holding onto the lead for most of the second half. The Statesmen remained in the game, and finally got the lead back momentarily at 56-55. CMU, however, would get it right back, and did not give it up again, as they kept a potent Statesmen offense at bay and closed out their six point victory 79-73.
Blaylock led the Statesmen with 19 points, while Newman was hot on his tail with 18. Malik Edwards contributed (Fr., Drexel Hill., Business Management) nine points and Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) added seven.
“We simply didn’t play well,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Any time you give up 19 offensive rebounds, have 16 turnovers, and miss 11 free throws, you are going to lose. However, it’s only one loss and one game.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen will try to bounce back on Saturday for their final game of 2021 as they travel to Lamoni to square off with the Graceland Yellowjackets. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 PM.
