WPU Wins Big Over Vikings, 136-83
Terrell Thompson had 15 points on Wednesday.
by Wade Steinlage
Oskaloosa–Jaws gaped and heads shook in disbelief Wednesday as the Statesmen men’s basketball team Wednesday thoroughly dispatched Missouri Valley 136-83 in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Wednesday.
The top-ranked Statesmen (19-1, 9-1 Heart), who won their ninth game in a row, broke the program record for most points in a conference game (previous mark was 128 last year against Central Methodist). The 136 points are also the third-most in school history.
In what appeared on paper to be a good matchup, WPU made it a rout early. The first nine points of the night went to WPU, but MVC (12-8, 5-5 Heart) tried to stay close with a mini run to make it 15-10 with 14:45 to go. With depth aplenty, the Statesmen went to the bench and reloaded with five brand-new, fresh players. The new quintet hit the hardwood and immediately caused pure havoc for the Vikings, especially on the defensive end with a hounding, full-court press.
The fast-paced crew helped William Penn push the advantage to 18 with a 16-3 run and the visitors never threatened again.
In what is perhaps the best offensive half of basketball ever played in Penn Gymnasium, the navy and gold led 78-43 at intermission, finishing one point shy of their school record for points in a half (vs. Central Christian-Mo. on November 24, 2012).
The only thing that slowed WPU down was fouls. The victors had nine steals before break, but also committed 20 fouls, while MVC was also whistled for 18 infractions. To say the first half was long is an incredible understatement as the sides combined for 48 first-half free throws.
The second stanza was a mere formality with WPU’s bench playing significant minutes; a total of 16 players saw the floor for WPU with 13 scoring in the win.
William Penn’s domination was evident in every possible statistical category, highlighted by a 59.5%-40.8% shooting edge. The team made 14 three-pointers (3 for MVC) on 45.2% shooting and hit 75.9% of its free throws (MVC was 51.4%).
The Statesmen also held a 53-41 edge in rebounding and committed six fewer turnovers (15-21) than the visitors. JC Washington (Sr., Houston, Texas, Sociology) topped all participants with 13 boards as he finished just one assist (10 points as well) shy of his second triple-double of the campaign.
As aforementioned, everyone made an impact in Wednesday’s victory, led by Dominique Shaw (Sr., Lufkin, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) with a game-high 27 points.
Six other players joined Shaw in double figures, led by D’Angelo Allen (Jr., Dallas, Texas, Wellness and Recreation) with 16 points off the bench. He also blocked three shots.
Terrell Thompson (Sr., Indianapolis, Ind., Wellness and Recreation) tacked on 15, while Jovontae Carleton (Jr., El Cerrito, Calif., Sociology) had 12. Tyler Wood (So., Newton, Iowa, Education) was good for 11, and Mikeal Donaldson (Sr., Columbia, S.C.) matched Washington with 10 points.
Corbin Medley (Sr., Rogersville, Mo., General Accounting) returned to the lineup and knocked down a trio of long shots for nine points, while Aakim Saintil (Sr., West Orange, N.J., Business Management), Brandon Trotter (Sr., Louisville, Ky., Kinesiology), and Wade Votroubek (Fr., Oskaloosa, Iowa) all added six points.
“This was our best game of the year,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We were pretty dang good tonight.”
Next Up: William Penn travels to Kansas City, Mo. Saturday to face Avila in Heart action at 4 p.m.
