WPU Clinches Automatic Bid with Win at GVU
William Penn University Athletics
by Wade Steinlage
Des Moines–Buoyed by a boisterous traveling crowd, the Statesmen men’s basketball team got past rival Grand View 99-90 to win the outright Heart of America Athletic Conference crown Wednesday.
In defeating the Vikings, #3 William Penn (26-2, 16-2 Heart) secured both the top seed for next week’s conference tournament and the Heart’s automatic bid to the NAIA Division I National Championships in Kansas City, Mo. (March 15-20). It will be the program’s eighth NAIA Nationals appearance (all since 2006-2007) and 14th overall (six in NCAA Division III).
Both sides shot well with WPU holding a 52.9%-50.7% edge. The navy and gold, who were just 34.6% from deep, excelled at the line with a 76.2% clip. Grand View (17-11, 10-8 Heart) was the opposite, making 42.9% of its three-pointers, but just 52.0% of its free throws.
The visitors, who led nearly the entire night, came out of the gates strong with a 19-8 edge at the 15:18 mark. The margin fluctuated quite a bit in the first half, but when the smoke cleared at halftime, William Penn was still up 50-44.
WPU extended the advantage to double figures early in the latter half at 58-48. The Vikings refused to go away, though, knotting the contest at 65-65. A 7-0 run by the navy and gold put the visiting crew back in control, but GVU produced its own stretch of seven unanswered to grab its first lead at 79-78 with 7:53 to go.
The home team remained on top at 84-83 with 5:58 on the clock, but nine of the following 10 points were tallied by the Statesmen and they escaped with the win. WPU has now won 12 of the last 14 games in the head-to-head series.
William Penn overcame 15 turnovers (10 for GVU) by holding a 44-32 rebounding margin.
Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) topped all participants in both scoring (26) and rebounding (12) for a double-double. He was 9-for-20 from the field and connected on four three-pointers.
He was not alone in double figures as four more Statesmen reached the mark and another was one point shy. Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation) posted 19 points, while Aakim Saintil (Sr., West Orange, N.J., Business Management) was next with 16 points. Both point guards dished out four assists.
Corbin Medley (Sr., Rogersville, Mo., Business Management) paced the bench with 11 points, while Mikeal Donaldson (Sr., Columbia, S.C., Wellness and Recreation) was perfect from the floor (4-for-4) and the line (2-for-2) en route to 10 points.
D’Angelo Allen (Jr., Dallas, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) contributed nine points as well.
“This was a great win and a great game with an amazing atmosphere,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Our fans were awesome; it was so loud and fun.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Fayette, Mo. Saturday to face #7 Central Methodist in Heart action at 4 p.m.
