Strong Perimeter Show Leads Statesmen to Road Victory
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Lamoni–The William Penn men’s basketball team might be getting the wheels pointed in the right direction at the perfect time as it rolled past Graceland 88-79 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play Saturday.
#16 WPU (20-6, 14-6 Heart), which had lost five of seven games recently, has now reeled off three wins in a row entering the final two weeks of the regular season. The navy and gold’s victory also secures the program’s seventh-consecutive 20-win season; William Penn has now eclipsed the 20-win plateau in 12 of its last 15 campaigns.
Both teams knocked down 12 three-pointers Saturday, but the Statesmen did it to the tune of 42.9% shooting, while the Yellowjackets (13-12, 9-11 Heart) were limited to a 34.3% clip. Marlon Alcindor (Sr., Queens, N.Y., Sociology) guided the effort by making six of his 10 deep balls en route to 22 points.
GU opened the afternoon with the game’s first five points, but the visitors responded with a pair of trifectas. Alcindor then found the bottom of the net soon thereafter to give William Penn the lead for good at 11-8.
Up 47-36 at the break, the victors extended the advantage to 22 at 76-54 with just under seven minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Graceland made it quite interesting with 14 unanswered as part of a 20-4 run to make it 80-74 with 1:58 still on the clock.
The Statesmen weathered the storm, however, and responded with four points of their own to cruise to the win.
William Penn capped the day with a 48.4%-46.2% shooting edge, while also outrebounding Graceland 42-31. Its 14-9 advantage in offensive rebounds led to a 17-10 mark in second-chance points.
The navy and gold also committed one fewer turnover (13-14) and were 14-for-20 at the free-throw line, while GU was just 7-for-12.
Three of Alcindor’s teammates joined him in double figures, paced by Abrian Edwards (Sr., Austin, Texas, Kinesiology) with 17 points in addition to eight rebounds.
Shamar Bailey-DeCoteau (Jr., Toronto, Ontario, Undecided) was next with 16 points, while Darius Wheeler (Sr., Jonesboro, Ga., Sports Administration) produced 15 points.
Omar Sherman (Sr., Duncanville, Texas), with eight points, and Mario Manuel (So., Des Moines, Iowa, Sports Management), with five points, also contributed to the winning cause.
Next Up: William Penn remains on the road next Wednesday, traveling to Cedar Rapids to face Mount Mercy in Heart action at 7:30 p.m.
