Statesmen Win Another Close One
Columbia, Mo.–The William Penn men’s basketball team earned another tough victory on Tuesday, taking down the Columbia Cougars 83-80. The win improves the Statesmen to 8-0 on the year.
The first minute of play was quiet, but Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) got the scoring started with a layup to put William Penn on the board first. Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology) added a dunk and a layup, and Newman nailed a triple, but the offense as a whole struggled to click early on.
After Malik Edwards (Fr., Drexel Hill, Pa., Business Management) extended the William Penn lead to 16-13 with a layup, the Cougars finally got their own offense going, utilizing a 9-2 run to take a four point lead after 10 minutes of play.
The Statesmen attempted to retake the lead, with Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) coming alive for six consecutive William Penn points, but they could not sustain momentum long enough to get the lead back, eventually going into halftime trailing 42-38.
The Statesmen actually outshot their hosts in the first half by a margin of 44.1%-42.5%, but turnovers contributed to the deficit they faced in the first half, as the navy and gold committed 10 turnovers in the first half. The Cougars were able to take advantage of their extra opportunities, and the Statesmen needed to get their offense back on track to wipe away the deficit.
Early in the second, Newman and Blaylock scattered a few baskets, but the Cougars always had an answer. The hosts extended the lead out to seven with 16 minutes to play, but the Statesmen finally got it going.
Blaylock, Cruesoe, and Newman all had baskets in quick succession, cutting the lead down to one. Edwards then followed with a steal and took it all the way to the rim himself for the finish, finally giving William Penn the lead again at 56-55. Soon after, Frederick Jackson (Sr., Killeen, Texas, Interdisciplinary Studies) made a layup and drew a foul. He completed the three point play to give the Statesmen a four point lead, their largest of the half.
Both offenses went quiet again, and the two teams played to a 70-70 tie with five minutes remaining. Cruesoe then made another layup, and three successful free throws gave the Statesmen a five point advantage. Unfortunately, Columbia immediately went on a 6-0 run, taking the lead right back at 76-75.
On the very next possession, Blaylock came down with a strong offensive rebound and converted the second chance try as the lead shifted back in William Penn’s favor. Blaylock converted both free throws after he was fouled on the next possession, and the lead increased to three.
With 26 seconds left, the Cougars converted only one of two free throws to keep the lead at two. Cruesoe was fouled, and hit two clutch tries from the charity stripe to increase the lead to four. The ensuing three point attempt missed, and Cruesoe came down with the rebound. He was quickly fouled, and hit two more huge free throws to effectively ice the game. The Cougars hit a three at the buzzer, but it wasn’t enough as the Statesmen came away with an 83-80 victory.
Newman led the Statesmen with 27 points, also adding five rebounds. Blaylock turned in another double-double with 19 points and 13 boards, while Cruesoe turned in a great all-around performance. Cruesoe finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three assists, as he contributed on all sides of the ball all game.
Edwards joined the trio in double-digits with 10 points, while Jackson finished with five points and four rebounds.
“Far away from home and with some distractions, we found a way to pull out another win. Let’s eat some turkey!” said Head Coach John Henry. “This win is dedicated to the Oskaloosa Orschelns.”
What’s Next: The Statesmen will get to rest through the holiday before their next matchup on Saturday against the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers. Tipoff in Mount Pleasant is scheduled for 3 PM.
