WPU Takes Season Opener Over Dordt in OT
Chicago, Ill.–Over seven and a half years ago, William Penn and Dordt faced off in one of the most epic battles in NAIA National Tournament history. Friday night served as quite the encore as the Statesmen escaped with a 93-90 overtime win over Dordt at the Governors State Classic Friday.
William Penn (1-0) was far from perfect, but earned a victory in a tight battle that featured nine ties and seven lead changes. A banged-up squad, the Statesmen were playing without starting point guard Chanze Cruesoe (So., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management).
In the first matchup between the two programs since WPU won a 118-116 double-overtime game against the Defenders back on March 13, 2014, the Statesmen were outshot 42.6%-40.5%, but made enough plays down the stretch to come out on top.
Dordt (0-1) scored first and led 8-5 early, but the navy and gold flexed their muscles and took control of the game with nine unanswered, including a three-pointer by Josh Watkins (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) and back-to-back scores by Kevion Blaylock (Sr., Houston, Texas, Information Technology).
A bucket by newcomer Frederick Jackson (Sr., Killeen, Texas) saw the Statesmen double up DC 28-14 and possibly be well on their way to an easy triumph. The Defenders had different plans, however, pulling to within two. William Penn closed strong, though, as Karmari Newman (Sr., Detroit, Mich., Digital Communication) ended the half with a trifecta for a 48-41 Statesmen lead. Newman was just 6-for-25 from the field, but fortunately for his team, he kept chucking up the ball and eventually got hot at the right time.
WPU continued to lead by seven at 52-45, but Dordt flipped the script with a 15-2 run in just over six minutes of play. Up against the ropes facing a 68-61 deficit with 7:51 to go, the Statesmen began to claw back, beginning with a long ball from Watkins.
For every Defender score, William Penn had an answer, tying the game five times in the waning minutes of regulation. No shot was bigger, though, than Watkins’ three-pointer with seven seconds left. With 12.4 seconds left on the clock, Q Cager (Sr., Hopkinsville, Ky., Wellness & Recreation) hastily dribbled the ball up the court and hit Watkins in the left corner. The senior let it fly and swished it home for an 80-80 tie. The response on the other end did not fall and overtime ensued.
In the first extra-period contest for the Statesmen in two years, Newman took over with a trio of bombs. His first connection gave William Penn an 84-82 lead, and then with 32 seconds remaining, he rattled his second home for a 90-88 edge.
Following a WPU timeout, Dordt knotted the score at 90-90 on the opposite end with a driving layup. Then, just as it did in regulation, the Statesmen possession started with 12.4 seconds remaining, but this time around Cager took the inbounds pass and immediately dropped it off for Newman.
Newman, with the proverbial ice in his veins, waved off any assistance and simply pulled up at the top of the key and drained the game-winning three-pointer. He finished with 20 points, headlined by five three-pointers, and also added six rebounds and five assists.
Newman did it in overtime, but it was Watkins who got his team through the first two periods, tallying a team-high 24 points on 8-for-15 shooting, including a 6-for-13 effort from the perimeter. The Windy City native also pulled down five boards as the Statesmen held a 50-44 mark on the glass.
Blaylock was his normal double-double self with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Reyhan Cobb (Jr., Atlanta, Ga.) paced the bench players with 13 points as he was nearly perfect, going 4-for-4 from the floor and 5-for-6 at the free-throw line. WPU was 13-for-18 at the charity stripe, while Dordt held the edge there by finishing 21-for-25.
Cager, with nine points and nine rebounds, and Jackson, with eight points and six rebounds, were also big contributors for the navy and gold.
William Penn was better in ball control with 10 turnovers, compared to 12 for the Defenders, resulting in a 17-12 margin in points off turnovers. The victors were also better in second-chance points at 14-7, courtesy of a 15-7 advantage in second-chance points.
“This game went back and forth all night,” Head Coach John Henry said. “Josh Watkins killed it tonight in front of his family. Karmari Newman did not shoot very well all night, but he hit the big shots at the end. We have work to do, but we will get there.”
Next Up: William Penn remains in Chicago, Ill., Saturday to face host Governors State in the championship game of the Classic. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
