WPU Advances to Semis with 95-85 Defeat of Baker
William Penn defeated Baker in decisive fashion on Thursday. The two teams had each beaten the other during the regular season.
Oskaloosa–A dozen players got on the board as the Statesmen men’s basketball team finally earned an easy win over Baker, taking down the #8 seed 95-85 in Heart of America Athletic Conference Tournament Quarterfinal action Thursday.
Top-seeded and #2 William Penn (28-3) advances to the tournament semifinals Saturday to host #5 seed Graceland in Oskaloosa (time to be determined). The navy and gold swept the Yellowjackets during the regular season, winning 93-84 in Oskaloosa on January 7 and 96-84 in Lamoni on February 18.
The Statesmen entered Thursday’s matchup 1-1 on the year against the pesky Wildcats (17-15), having lost in Kansas and then barely slipping by in double overtime at home. The postseason contest fortunately did not feature near as many heart palpitations for Statesmen Nation, especially early.
The home squad tallied the night’s first 12 points and led 19-3 just 5:43 into the battle. BU, unwilling to be a doormat to WPU, rallied for a 14-2 run, though, and eventually pulled within two twice in the following minutes.
The Statesmen sorted out their issues and recorded 12 of the next 14 points and were never threatened again. William Penn led 46-34 at the half and kept the advantage in double digits throughout the entire second stanza. The hosts led by a game-high 23 points late before Baker finished with a flurry to make the contest look closer than it was. The win extends the program’s winning streak to 10 games.
At game’s end, WPU outshot BU 51.6%-48.5% and outrebounded the visitors 43-30. The hosts did struggle a bit in ball control (16 turnovers), allowing the Wildcats to own an 18-10 mark in points off mistakes.
Jarvis Haywood (Sr., Charlotte, N.C., Business Management) came off the bench and finished just shy of a double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds.
Lionel Ellison (Sr., New Orleans, La., Kinesiology) and Torren Jones (Sr., Chandler, Ariz., Sociology) both shot the ball extremely well (they combined to go 10-for-13) as both cagers scored 16 points in the win. Ellison also topped his squad with three steals.
Charles Knowles (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education) paced a crew of nine other scorers as he produced nine. Kordario Fleming (Sr., Memphis, Tenn., Physical Education) was next with seven points, while Kevin Smith (Sr., Baltimore, Md., Physical Education) added six points and a team-high four assists.
The trio of Brandon Trotter (Jr., Louisville, Ky., Kinesiology), Elijah Williams (Jr., Chicago, Ill., Physical Education), and Rufus Williams (Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala., Physical Education) all posted five-point efforts.
“Baker was a thorn to us all year, so I am just happy to win and advance,” Head Coach John Henry said.
