William Penn’s Comeback Effort Stalls in 87-82 Loss to Missouri Valley
Oskaloosa–The Statesmen men’s basketball team showed resilience Wednesday night but ultimately fell short in an 87-82 battle against Missouri Valley in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.
The opening half was marked by streaky runs. Missouri Valley asserted control early, surged to a 29-12 lead by the 9:32 mark, and maintained its grip. While William Penn fought to chip away at the deficit, the visitors maintained their grip. However, the Statesmen found life late in the half, igniting a 14-2 run to close the gap. The teams traded points before heading into halftime, with WPU trailing 42-37.
Jamir Reed (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Sociology) and LeQuan Washington (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) led the way in the first half, contributing nine points apiece.
Missouri Valley came out strong after the break, using an 11-2 run to extend their advantage. The Statesmen continued to battle but fell behind by as many as 17 points midway through the second half. A determined 10-5 push by WPU trimmed the deficit to 69-57, but the Vikings responded to maintain their cushion. Down 78-65 with 2:31 remaining, William Penn mounted a furious 18-9 rally, narrowing the gap to five points. Unfortunately, their late-game push fell short as time expired.
Washington paced the Statesmen with a team-high 16 points, while Reed added 15. Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) posted an impressive double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, providing a spark on both ends of the floor.
Shooting woes hampered WPU throughout the night, as the team shot just 35.8% from the field and 15.4% (4-for-26) from three-point range. In contrast, Missouri Valley connected on 43.5% of its shots from the field and a stellar 43.8% from beyond the arc. Both teams fared well at the free-throw line, but the Vikings’ 83.9% accuracy outpaced WPU’s 71.4%.
Despite the loss, William Penn dominated the glass, outrebounding Missouri Valley 53-39 and converting 24 offensive boards into 22 second-chance points. Turnovers were even at 11 apiece, with WPU narrowly outscoring MVC 10-9 on points off turnovers.
Up Next: The Statesmen look to rebound Saturday as they travel to Lamoni, Iowa, to face Graceland at 4:00 p.m. in another Heart of America matchup.
