Second-Half Struggles Doom Statesmen in Loss to Grand View

Des Moines--The William Penn men's basketball team fell to Heart of America Athletic Conference rival Grand View, 79-62 Wednesday, as second-half struggles proved too much to overcome.

WPU (8-5, 5-4 Heart) opened the game with energy, trading baskets with Grand View (7-8, 5-6 Heart) before igniting a nine-point run to take a 15-8 lead. The Vikings responded with a 16-8 stretch to grab the lead at the 5:52 mark. Refusing to back down, the Statesmen surged with an 8-0 run to reclaim an eight-point advantage with just two minutes left in the half. However, Grand View closed strong, using a 9-1 spurt to head into the break with a slim 33-32 edge.

LeQuan Washington (Jr., Chicago, Ill.) paced William Penn with 12 first-half points, while Jawuan Brown (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y., Business Management) added eight points. 

The Vikings carried their late momentum into the second half, opening with a decisive 22-6 run that left the Statesmen scrambling. While WPU fought to chip away at the deficit, trading baskets throughout the remainder of the game, they couldn't muster a significant comeback and ultimately fell 79-62.

Washington led the offensive charge with a dominating 20 points, while Brown contributed 10 points and four blocks. Malique Oates (Sr., Huntsville, Ala., Sports Management) and Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) chipped in nine points apiece.

Despite solid individual performances, the Statesmen struggled with offensive efficiency. They shot just 37.1% from the field compared to Grand View's 46.8% and managed only 6.3% from beyond the arc (1-for-16) versus the Vikings' 30.0%. Free-throw shooting also hampered their efforts, with WPU converting only 65.2% of attempts.

On the boards, William Penn was outmatched by Grand View, being outrebounded 37-29 and managing to convert their 11 offensive rebounds into just 11 second-chance points. Turnovers were nearly even, with WPU committing 11 to GVU's 14, but the Statesmen struggled to capitalize, scoring just 10 points off turnovers.

Up Next: William Penn takes on Central Methodist Saturday in a Heart of America showdown at 4 p.m. in Fayette, Mo.