William Penn Finishes Title Sweep with 112-100 Finals Victory
WPU defended its tourney crown and has now won six tourney titles in the last 13 years. (WPU photo)
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team will enter nationals as winners of a dozen straight after defeating #3 seed Mount Mercy 112-100 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Finals Tuesday.
The Heart regular season champion, top-seeded WPU (30-3) won its sixth league tournament crown since 2004-2005 (6-5 mark in title games in that span). The Statesmen will now wait to see who they will face in the opening round of the NAIA Division I National Championships in Kansas City, Mo. from March 15-21. A Selection Show Watch Party will be held Wednesday night in Penn Gymnasium, beginning at 7:15 p.m.
William Penn fans are encouraged to purchase their nationals tickets (admission is $8) from the WPU Athletic Department by calling 641-673-1018 or by emailing thompsonj@wmpenn.edu
Tuesday’s matchup featured a William Penn program that had already punched its ticket to nationals and a Mount Mercy squad that was likely in as well (the Mustangs, who are now 21-11, learned by night’s end that they were also a lock). That however did not prevent the old-MCC rivals from putting on quite a show for the crowd inside Penn Gymnasium. Despite most of WPU’s student body being off campus due to spring break, the navy and gold received plenty of support from members of the community.
Defense was at a premium in the first half as both sides shot well over 50.0%. The Statesmen trailed by as many as nine points at 32-23 with 10:04 to go, but slowly chipped away at the deficit and took the lead for good at 58-56 with only two ticks left before intermission on a pair of free throws by Torren Jones (Sr., Chandler, Ariz., Sociology).
The foes remained in a heated battle in the early minutes of the second stanza. The navy and gold were still only ahead by six at 84-78 with 9:04 remaining, but went on an 8-2 run and kept the margin in double figures for all but a few seconds of the waning minutes.
Courtesy of a 60.0% second-half shooting clip, William Penn ended the win outshooting MMU 56.0%-51.5%. WPU also crushed the visitors 45-26 on the glass; the victors held a 17-7 mark in offensive rebounds, leading to a 16-9 edge in second-chance points.
WPU overcame 16 turnovers (15 for Mount Mercy), which resulted in a 17-14 deficit in points off turnovers. In addition to strong shooting inside the arc, the Statesmen also excelled from the perimeter (8-for-16) and at the line (20-for-24).
It is the ninth time this year that William Penn, the NAIA’s highest-scoring team at 92.8 points per game, eclipsed the century mark.
Jones was one of five William Penn cagers in double figures with a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds; he was 11-for-16 from the field.
Jarvis Haywood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Business Management) was also over the 20-point plateau with 23 points, while Lionel Ellison (Sr., New Orleans, La., Kinesiology) was next with 19 points in addition to four steals.
Kevin Smith (Sr., Baltimore, Md., Physical Education) produced 16 points and also dished out seven assists, and Charles Knowles (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) tallied 12 points.
Kordario Fleming (Sr., Memphis, Tenn., Physical Education) added eight points as well.
“On behalf of the team, we want to thank the community for coming out and supporting us tonight and all season,” Head Coach John Henry said. “With our students gone for break, they rocked that gym tonight.”
