CEDAR RAPIDS — The William Penn men’s basketball team fought hard to claim a 99–93 win over Heart of America Athletic Conference competitor Mount Mercy on Tuesday.
The Statesmen (7–3, 2–2 Heart) opened the first half in a back-and-forth battle against Mount Mercy (4–6, 0–3 Heart) before pulling away at the 10:20 mark with a 12–4 surge to build a 38–25 advantage. The Mustangs countered, trimming the Navy and Gold edge to six, but William Penn responded with a 14–8 spurt to enter halftime back up by 13.
WPU shot an outstanding 69.4% from the floor in the first 20 minutes, while holding Mount Mercy to limited looks from deep. Daivion Boleware (Jr., Jackson, Mich., Psychology) led the Statesmen at the break with 14 points, and Javion Belle-McCrary (Sr., Reform, Ala., Sports Management) added 10.
The squads traded possessions early in the second period, and WPU maintained a double-digit lead until 13:04 when the Mustangs chipped it down to 73–64. MMU then pieced together a 14–5 run to briefly take a one-point lead. The Statesmen immediately answered, as Javin Tindall (Jr., Albuquerque, N.M., Sports Management) drilled a momentum-shifting three-pointer to reclaim the advantage—one they would not surrender again.
Foday Sheriff (Jr., Upper Darby, Pa., Business Management) dominated the second half with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Boleware paced the Statesmen with 20 points, while Sheriff followed closely with a 19-point, 13-rebound double-double. Malik Larane (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Sports Management) and Donovan Rodriguez (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Sports Management) added 15 and 14 points, respectively, and Belle-McCrary rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12.
William Penn impressed from the field, shooting 62.5% compared to MMU’s 45.7%. The Mustangs led from beyond the arc (35.5%–29.4%) and at the foul line (75%–66.7%).
The difference came on the boards, where the Statesmen held a 40–27 advantage. Mount Mercy, however, earned an 11–10 edge in offensive rebounds, converting those into a 17–14 benefit in second-chance points. WPU created major separation through defensive pressure, forcing 19 turnovers while committing only nine, leading to a 27–11 margin in points off turnovers.
William Penn’s depth also proved decisive with a commanding 46–13 edge in bench points.
“Our bench was great tonight,” Head Coach John Henry said. “We weren’t smooth down the stretch but did enough to win.”
