Statesmen Take Down Mount Mercy in Heart Opener
Terrell Thompson puts down two of his team leading 24 points for the Statesmen against Mount Mercy.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s basketball team overcame a sluggish start with a stout second half as it defeated Mount Mercy 92-80 in its Heart of America Athletic Conference opener Wednesday.
#3 WPU (11-0, 1-0 Heart) won its 32nd-straight game at home and is closing in on the best start in school history (14-0 in 2012-2013).
Consecutive home win #32 did not come without struggles, though, as the hosts fell behind 21-7 just 6:29 into the evening. While the navy and gold missed on numerous decent looks, the Mustangs (4-5, 0-1 Heart) were on fire, including making eight three-pointers in the opening stanza.
MMU eventually cooled off and William Penn began to impose its will on both ends, closing to within four at halftime. The Statesmen were behind 13 at 35-22, but went on an 18-9 run to wrap up the half trailing just 44-40. Despite being outshot 55.2%-37.1%, WPU was right in the thick of it.
The visitors tallied the first basket of the second period, but William Penn took its first lead of the game (one tie in the first half) during a stretch of 12 unanswered points. The home squad did not relinquish the advantage, in fact pushing the margin to a game-high 17 points as part of its 33-10 run.
The Mustangs, who won the final shooting battle 49.2%-44.3%, drew to within eight in the waning minutes, but the Statesmen did enough to remain perfect on the season.
It took several minutes into the matchup for WPU to collect its first offensive rebound, but once it did, the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. At game’s end, William Penn outrebounded Mount Mercy 43-35 (13-7 offensive), leading to a 12-5 edge in second-chance points.
JC Washington (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sociology) guided the glass presence with a game-high 13 boards. The senior scored 17 points as well to complete his double-double, while also blocking three shots.
Though beaten from the field, the Statesmen made up for some of their shooting deficit with an impressive showing at the charity stripe. The victors were 22-for-27 overall, while MMU struggled to make only nine of its 20 tries.
Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation) headlined for William Penn with a near triple-double of 24 points (game high), nine rebounds, and six assists.
Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) knocked down four three-pointers to highlight his 22-point performance. He also stole two passes as the Statesmen forced 16 turnovers (WPU had 14); the hosts converted those mistakes into a 12-9 edge in points off turnovers.
Mikeal Donaldson (Sr., Columbia, S.C.) joined the double-figure club with 10 points, while Brandon Trotter (Sr., Louisville, Ky., Kinesiology) added seven and Jovontae Carleton (Jr., El Cerrito, Calif., Sociology) finished with six.
“A lot of things did not go our way in the first half, but I am proud of how we stuck together as a group,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Our effort after halftime was great. I hope we now know that all conference games are going to be tough.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Peru, Neb. Saturday to face Peru State in Heart action at 4 p.m.
