CANTON — The William Penn men’s basketball team earned a 79–66 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory over Culver-Stockton Wednesday night.
The opening half featured a tightly contested battle, with neither side able to create much separation early. Holding a narrow 19–18 lead, Culver-Stockton (4-22, 2-18 Heart) watched the Statesmen (21-6, 15-4 Heart) respond with 14 unanswered points to surge ahead 33–19. The Wildcats trimmed the margin to seven before halftime, sending William Penn into the break with a 38–31 advantage.
Despite the competitive scoreline, the Statesmen controlled the offensive rhythm in the first period, shooting 33.3% from both the field and three-point range, while the Wildcats managed 30% overall and 27.3% from deep. Javion Belle-McCrary (Sr., Reform, Ala., Sports Management) led William Penn with 14 first-half points, and Daivion Boleware (Jr., Jackson, Mich., Psychology) added nine.
William Penn opened the second half with an 18–10 run to extend its lead before the teams began trading possessions. Culver-Stockton cut the deficit to 61–51, but the Statesmen answered again, pushing the margin to 75–60 with 2:23 remaining. The Wildcats applied late pressure, yet could not overcome the double-digit gap.
For the game, William Penn shot 38% from the floor and 33.3% from beyond the arc, compared to 36.8% overall and 27.8% from three for Culver-Stockton.
Belle-McCrary finished with a game-high 26 points, adding five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and steady leadership throughout. Boleware recorded a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Yonis Mohamud (Jr., Minneapolis, Minn., Sports Management) and Chase Page (Sr., Melbourne, Australia, Business Management) contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively, with Mohamud collecting four steals and Page securing nine rebounds.
The Statesmen held a 50–44 rebounding advantage, including a 14–9 edge on the offensive glass, and converted 14 Culver-Stockton turnovers into 16 points while surrendering just six points off their own 10 miscues.
“Proud of the guys for taking care of business tonight,” said Head Coach John Henry.
