Statesmen Come Up Short in Thriller Against Clarke

Dubuque--The William Penn men's basketball team battled down to the wire but fell just short in a 100-96 loss to Clarke in Heart of America Athletic Conference action Monday night.

The game opened with a back-and-forth exchange before the Statesmen (9-13, 6-12 Heart) seized momentum with a 7-0 run, pulling ahead 18-11. Clarke (4-17, 4-13 Heart) responded with a 10-5 surge to reclaim a 21-20 edge. WPU managed to build a 31-27 lead, but the Pride fought back, sending the Statesmen into halftime trailing 46-44.

Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) led William Penn in the first half with 10 points, while Malique Oates (Sr., Huntsville, Ala., Sports Management) contributed six.

The second half saw more lead changes before Clarke created separation with a 12-3 run, pushing ahead 67-58. WPU kept battling and clawed its way back, using a 16-5 run to trim the deficit to 92-90 in the closing minutes. Despite their efforts, the Statesmen couldn't overcome Clarke's late execution, as the Pride held on for the narrow win.

Justin Bradley (Jr., Okinawa, Japan, Biology) led WPU with 17 points, while Roy Jones III (Sr., Pensacola, Fla., Psychology) added 13. Naysean Baisy (Jr., Seattle, Wash., Sports Management) chipped in 12 points, and Williams and Isaac Hoberecht (Jr., Carl Junction, Mo., Business Management) each recorded 10.

William Penn shot an efficient 51.5% from the field, but Clarke was slightly better at 52.1%. The biggest difference came from beyond the arc, where the Pride shot a scorching 60.0%, compared to WPU's 35.0%. At the free-throw line, the Statesmen held the edge, converting 73.1%, while Clarke managed just 55.0%.

On the boards, WPU outrebounded Clarke 40-34, but the Pride capitalized on their second chances, scoring 16 points off eight offensive rebounds. Meanwhile, the Statesmen turned 11 offensive boards into just nine points. Turnovers proved costly for both teams—Clarke committed 15, leading to 17 WPU points, but the Statesmen had 17 giveaways, which the Pride converted into 18 points.

Up Next: William Penn heads to Olathe, Kan., on Saturday for a 4:00 p.m. showdown against MidAmerica Nazarene in more Heart action.