Rebounding Edge Helps Statemen Drop Pride

Dubuque--The William Penn men's basketball team used its front court to dominate the paint in an 83-76 victory over Heart of America Athletic Conference opponent Clarke Monday.

In picking up their 12th win in a row, the Statesmen (16-2, 12-0 Heart) also remained perfect in league play. Clarke (8-9, 3-8 Heart) fought hard the whole night, but could never gain enough traction to get on top; the game featured two ties, but no lead changes.

WPU, which outshot the Pride 44.9%-38.2%, controlled the glass with a 53-35 advantage. Eddie Daley (Grad., DeWitt, Mich., Master's of Organizational Leadership) brought down 11 boards, while Muneer Newton (Fr., Philadelphia, Pa., Business Management) had 10 as well.  Both players tallied double-doubles; Newton managed 14 points, while Daley finished with 10.

The victors also owned the advantage in the paint, scoring 48 of their points inside of the lane. William Penn turned 16 offensive rebounds into 20 second-chance points.

Jumping out to another hot start, a 15-4 run to open the evening would help the Statesmen control most of the first half. Clarke began to slowly chip away, though, eventually tying the score 31-31 with four minutes remaining in the half.  WPU got the lead back and a jumper by DJ Purnell (So., Minneapolis, Minn., Business Management) extended the lead to 43-39 going into halftime.

The second half continued on the same trend for the Statesmen as they extended their lead to 11 at 52-41. Clarke came back again, however, making it a one-point contest at 56-55 with 12:14 remaining. Fortunately, William Penn scored four in a row and pushed the lead back to double figures and cruised to the victory.

Chanze Cruesoe (Jr., St. Louis, Mo., Business Management) and Newton both recorded 14 points to lead their team in scoring.  Cruesoe had seven rebounds as well.  Malik Edwards (So., Drexel Hill, Pa., Business Management) also joined the double-digit club with 13 points.

James Pennington (Sr., Chicago, Ill., Sports Management) recorded nine points and five rebounds off the bench, while matching Cruesoe with three assists.  Purnell also tallied nine points and five boards, while Daniel Autrey (Jr., Detroit, Mich., Business Management) contributed six points and seven rebounds.  CJ Washington (Jr., Houston, Texas) added five points as a starter as well.

Both teams struggled from the perimeter at 20.0% (WPU was 4-for-20), while the Statesmen overcame committing 18 turnovers (11 for CU).

"Our big fellas were awesome tonight; Eddie, DJ, and Muneer were just awesome with their scoring and rebounding, "said Head Coach John Henry.  "Clarke has a hard-working team.  This was a good road win for us."

Next Up: William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Thursday to host rival and Heart foe Grand View in the annual Toilet Paper Game at 7:30 p.m.