Statesmen Survive Upset Bid, Advance with Overtime Victory

Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team squeaked by with a win courtesy of a last-second tip-in by Eddie Daley (Grad., DeWitt, Mich., Master’s of Organizational Leadership), defeating #8 seed Benedictine 90-88 in overtime in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinals.

Despite not playing their best game, the top-seeded Statesmen (26-3) advance to Saturday’s semifinals. WPU outshot the Ravens (12-17) 45.3%-40.0% and held a 45-36 edge in rebounds, but permitted 13 three-pointers by the visitors.

William Penn struggled across the board in the first half, allowing BC to hit eight three-pointers as it trailed 43-34 at halftime.

The Statesmen continued to have issues finding their rhythm in the second half, but got within one score on several occasions. Unfortunately, the Ravens had an answer every time. The victors pulled to within two at 50-48 with 13:12 left on the clock, only to witness Benedictine go on its own run to lead 68-57 with 8:21 to go.

That is when William Penn started another push. In a two steps forward, one step backward situation, the navy and gold eventually made it a one-point contest at 77-76 outside of two minutes remaining. The Ravens responded with a three-pointer, however, and then produced a defensive stop.

Fortunately, Daley blocked a Raven layup and Chanze Cruesoe (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) scored a layup of his own on other end to turn the proverbial tide. Cruesoe then knocked down a pair of free throws to finally get the Statesmen even at 80-80 with 29 seconds remaining.

BC, which had a chance for the final shot, went into its offense early and missed a go-ahead attempt with five seconds left. James Pennington (Sr., Calumet City, Ill., Sports Management) got the rebound and was immediately fouled. The senior went to the line and made both of his free throws to give the Statesmen their first lead since it was 20-17 midway through the first stanza. Overall, WPU was 25-for-36 at the line (69.4%), while the visiting crew was just 19-for-28 (67.9%).

Unfortunately, the Ravens charged down the hardwood and Pennington committed a foul with just 0.4 seconds on the clock. The Benedictine shooter calmly made both of his charity stripe throws to knot it up at 82-82, and WPU failed to get a shot off as overtime ensued.

The sides exchanged leads through the first few minutes of the extra session. Muneer Newton (Fr., Philadelphia, Pa., Business Management) then put WPU back ahead at 88-86 on a floater that banked in with just 41 ticks left. Benedictine earned a pair of free throws on its offensive end, leading to the Statesmen heroics in the waning seconds.

Cruesoe drove the lane and laid a shot off the glass, but it was too strong. Fortunately, Daley was in perfect position on the weak side and tipped the ball in with five seconds left. Just as it had in regulation, Benedictine had a chance to tie or steal the win at the end. The Ravens chose to end it this time around, but a game-winning trifecta at the top of the key would not drop, allowing the Statesmen to survive and advance.

Daley’s tip-in helped finish off a huge night in second-chance points. Although they only had one more offensive rebound than BC (13-12), the navy and gold outscored the visitors 23-8 in second-chance points.

Seven Statesmen reached double digits with Newton leading the team with 19, along with 10 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season. He was followed by Pennington, who had 13 points and five assists.

Malik Edwards (Fr., Drexel Hill, Pa., Business Management), CJ Washington (Jr., Houston, Texas), and Daley all finished with 11 points; Daley had a double-double of his own with 10 rebounds. Cruesoe and Daniel Autrey (Jr., Detroit, Mich., Business Management) added 10 points each Thursday.

William Penn committed nine turnovers (seven for BC), but managed to outscore the Ravens 9-6 in points off errors.

“Eddie Daley was huge tonight,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Even though he was not feeling well, we needed him and he stepped up. Give a lot of credit to Benedictine too. They came at us all night and we are so grateful to win. As always, by 1 or 100, it is a win.”

Next Up: William Penn will remain in Oskaloosa Saturday to host #4 seed Baker at 7 p.m. in the Heart Semifinals.