Phillip Dowden (Evangel Sports Information) OSKALOOSA, Iowa – The Evangel men’s basketball team fell Saturday, 100-71 at 3rd-ranked William Penn in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
The Crusaders fell behind early and trailed 47-29 at halftime. The Statesmen continued their hot shooting day while also out-rebounding Evangel 41-24.
A trio of Crusaders finished in double figures as Marcus Miller, Cody Geiger and Richard Chapman all scored 10 points each. Miller added four rebounds in the loss.
William Penn was led by Charles Knowles who finished with 27 points as the Statesmen also made 13 three-pointers and finished 23-of-27 from the free-throw line as a team.
Evangel will quickly return to the hardwood Tuesday night in the second game of the Rib Crib Highway 65 Shootout at College of the Ozarks. Tipoff in Point Lookout is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Women
A cold start for the Evangel women’s basketball team was too much to overcome Saturday falling 64-52 in conference action.
Both teams struggled from the field Saturday but William Penn finished at 39 percent while the Crusaders shot just 29 percent. William Penn led from start to finish in the game as they extended their lead to as many as 15 late in the fourth quarter.
Taylor Longley scored 15 points to lead Evangel as the senior knocked down two of the five three-pointers. The Crusaders finished 5-of-22 of the behind the arc in the loss.
Allison Swanson narrowly missed her second consecutive double-double adding 10 points and nine boards.
William Penn was led by Asia Roper who finished with 16 points and five steals.
Evangel will take the week off for finals as they return home next Saturday to host Grand View. Tipoff from the Ashcroft Center is scheduled for 2 p.m.
