Pride fall to 13th ranked William Penn 83-76

DUBUQUE, Iowa – In an electric Kehl Center environment, the Clarke University men's basketball team were unable to upset number 13th ranked William Penn Statesmen in an 83-76 loss.

The Pride were able to keep the game within reach almost from the tip, but never were able to take a lead, even when they were able to tie it up multiple times in the first-half. Helping the Pride to only trail the Statesmen by four at the half was Daquon Lewis, as he shot 3-4 (75%) for eight points.

Biggie Luster played all 20 first-half minutes and scored seven points along with seven rebounds. Chandler Dean got in foul trouble early, as he picked up two in the first minute of the contest. He still was able to contribute seven points in 10 minutes of action.

The second half looked similar to the first in that Clarke was able to go on multiple runs, but weren't able to do enough to give them a lead. As head coach Jim Blaine put it, "It seemed we couldn't make the one timely shot or free-throw." Ultimately, the Pride would lose the second half 40-37 and will give them only one win on this three-game homestand.

Leading all scorers was Luster, as he finished the game with 16 points and nine rebounds. Before fouling out, Dean was able to score 14 points on 4-8 (50%) from the floor.

For the Statesmen, Chanze Cruesoe and Muneer Newton both finished with 14 points and Newton was able to grab 10 boards.

"We're getting everything out of us that we can," Blaine said, "we need to continue to improve defensively. If we bring this same level of play the rest of the year there are some wins out there as long as we stick together."

The Clarke University men's basketball team will hit the road for their next two games as they'll travel to Graceland on Thursday, January 19th for a 7:30 pm CST tip-off.