Statesmen Survive Late Push from Wildcats
Oskaloosa–Despite a late surge from Baker, the William Penn men’s basketball team came away victorious on Saturday over the Wildcats by a score of 87-81. The Statesmen now own a 16-1 overall record and improve to 8-1 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
The scoring got started almost a minute into the game with a Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) layup, but that was the only William Penn scoring to begin the game as the visitors quickly went on an eight point run over the next two minutes. Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) snapped that stretch with a three, and Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology) added the game’s next six points to give the Statesmen an 11-10 lead.
With the game tied at 15, the navy and gold went on a big run. Newman hit a pair of free throws to get it started. Q Cager (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky., Wellness and Recreation) and ReyhanCobb (Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Sociology) followed with a basket each, and Newman came right back with five more points on consecutive possessions. The Wildcats got one basket back, but a good post move from Frederick Jackson (Sr., Killeen, Texas, Interdisciplinary Studies) got it right back, and a three from Malik Edwards (Fr., Drexel Hill, Pa., Business Management) put a stamp on the 16-2 stretch that gave William Penn a 31-17 lead.
Cobb and Blaylock each added a couple more baskets down the stretch, and the Statesmen entered halftime with a comfortable 45-29 lead. Blaylock led all scorers at the half with 12, and Newman was close behind with nine. Cobb had an impressive first-half performance off the bench, contributing six points and six rebounds.
The navy and gold got off to a sluggish start in the second half, conceding the first eight points before Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) got on the board with a three-point play. The shots just kept coming from Baker, and they had completely erased their 16 point deficit, taking a one point lead at 65-64. Newman took the lead right back with a pair of free throws, and Cager added another basket after a steal from Watkins. After hitting three clutch free throws and another layup, Cager contributed to a stretch where he scored seven of the team’s 10 points, with the other three coming on another triple by Watkins, in which Cager got the assist.
The visitors continued to try to work their way back into the game, but the Statesmen were able to fend them off the rest of the way. Newman and Watkins each hit two huge threes to effectively put the game out of reach, and Cruesoe iced it with two free throws in the waning seconds.
Newman led William Penn in scoring with 17 points, also adding four rebounds and two steals. Blaylock and Cager totaled 14 points each, while Cruesoe had nine second-half points. Watkins and Cobb each had impressive performances off the bench. Watkins drilled four threes and had three blocks, and Cobb finished just shy of a double-double with 11 rebounds and eight points.
“Proud of our guys for staying together when Baker battled back,” said Associate Head Coach Blake Sandquist. “Q Cager was fantastic for us and Reyhan Cobb had a great all-around game.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen have a quick turnaround but will be back in Penn Gymnasium on Monday, January 17 for a non-conference matchup against the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 PM.
