Statesmen Surge Past Benedictine, Advance to Heart Semifinals
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team punched its ticket to the Heart Championship semifinals with an 88-73 victory over No. 7-seeded Benedictine College in quarterfinal action Tuesday night inside Penn Gym.
The second-seeded Statesmen (23-6) will now face No. 3 seed Grand View Friday at 7:00 p.m. in Penn Gym with a trip to the championship game on the line.
William Penn set the tone early and never trailed, racing out to a 15-3 advantage. The Ravens (15-14) trimmed the margin to 28-22 midway through the half, but WPU answered, rebuilding a double-digit cushion and stretching it to 49-34 by the break.
Although Benedictine shot an efficient 50% from the floor in the first half, the Statesmen countered with timely perimeter shooting. WPU connected on 36.8% from beyond the arc compared to just 25% for the Ravens, knocking down five more three-pointers. Chase Page (Sr., Melbourne, Australia, Business Management) tallied 11 points, while Daivion Boleware (Jr., Jackson, Mich., Psychology) added 10. Both pulled down five rebounds before halftime.
Benedictine opened the second half on an 8-3 run, but William Penn quickly halted the momentum with nine unanswered points beginning at the 17:52 mark. The Statesmen built their largest lead of the night at 70-49 with 10:57 remaining. Though the Ravens chipped away down the stretch, the deficit proved too much to overcome.
Boleware led all scorers with 19 points and added seven rebounds. Alif Bass (Jr., Newark, N.J., Sports Management) contributed 15 points, while Foday Sheriff (Jr., Upper Darby, Pa., Business Management) and Malik Larane (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Sports Management) each finished with 13. Sheriff secured a double-double with 12 rebounds, and Larane grabbed seven boards. Page closed the night with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The difference came on the glass. William Penn dominated rebounding 52-26, including a commanding 22-5 edge on the offensive boards. The Statesmen turned those extra opportunities into a 22-5 advantage in second-chance points. WPU committed 15 turnovers that resulted in 21 Benedictine points, but forced 14 Raven miscues and converted them into 14 points.
“We had spurts during this game where we played really, really well, and for the most part, I think we played exceptionally well,” said Head Coach John Henry. “Anytime you outrebound somebody by 26, you’re going to win ball games. We are excited to advance and look forward to the game on Friday.”
Next Up: William Penn hosts Grand View in the Heart Championship semifinal Friday at 7:00 p.m. in Penn Gym.
