LAMONI — The William Penn men’s basketball team struggled in the second half, falling 93-68 to Graceland in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday.
The game opened with an early 7-7 tie before Graceland (17-3, 13-3 Heart) went on an 11-5 run, taking an 18-12 lead. The Statesmen (9-11, 6-10 Heart) responded quickly, cutting the lead to just three points. The teams exchanged baskets as the Yellowjackets slowly built their advantage to 13. William Penn then surged back with an 11-3 run, trimming Graceland’s lead to 44-39 at halftime.
Isaac Hoberecht (Jr., Carl Junction, Mo., Business Management) led the Statesmen in the first half, scoring 16 points on 85.7% shooting from the field and a perfect 100% from beyond the arc, accounting for over 40% of his team’s first-half points.
Graceland came out strong in the second half, opening with an 8-3 run. Though the Statesmen answered with a 13-6 stretch to cut the lead to three, Graceland responded with eight unanswered points. The Yellowjackets continued to heat up, closing the game with a dominant 20-5 run, sealing the 93-68 victory.
Hoberecht finished the game with 24 points to lead William Penn. Manny Hammonds (So., Des Moines, Iowa, New Media) and Jacore Williams (Jr., Little Rock, Ark., Business Management) each added eight points.
Shooting struggles plagued the Statesmen throughout the contest, as they connected on just 37.3% of their shots from the field and 24.1% from three-point range. In contrast, Graceland shot 49.2% from the field and 30.8% from deep. Free throws were another issue for William Penn, who shot just 55.0% (11-for-20), while Graceland made 81.8% (27-for-33) of their attempts.
The Statesmen also struggled on the boards, being outrebounded 45-31. Turnovers were relatively even, with William Penn committing eight turnovers, which Graceland converted into 11 points, while the Yellowjackets turned the Statesmen’s 11 mistakes into 12 points.
“We played well for a lot of this game but eventually Graceland was too much for us,” said Head Coach John Henry. “We were again playing without a full roster, but no excuses, whoever is in uniform is who will play.”
