Jan. 24, 2008

Cedar Rapids, Iowa -- A 40-year old record was finally broken Wednesday (Jan. 23) as the Statesmen basketball team rallied to defeat Mount Mercy 91-88 in Midwest Collegiate Conference action.

The #5 nationally-ranked Statesmen (20-2, 8-0 MCC) won their school-record 12th-consecutive game, breaking the previous longest winning streak of 11, set in 1967-1968.  When Penn returns to the court next Monday to face Iowa Wesleyan, its winning streak will have stretched over two months, not having lost since November 25, 2007 against South Dakota.

The team's 8-0 start in league play is also the first time that Penn has gone an entire `go-round' (playing all of its opponents once) without a loss since joining the conference in 2001-2002.  The Statesmen will enter the second half of the league slate with at least a three-game lead in the MCC (Ashford, Clarke, Iowa Wesleyan, and Waldorf are the closest as all are 4-3).

The win did not come easily, though, as Penn battled against a determined Mustang squad that shot a sultry 53.4% from the field, including 58.3% in the first half to hold a 46-45 advantage at the break.

The Statesmen fell apart in the early minutes of the second half unfortunately, making its endeavor even more difficult.  In the opening 5:55 of the second stanza, Penn was outscored 17-3 to trail by 15 points at 63-48.  The deficit grew to a game-high 16 points at 68-52 at the midway point of the half before the visitors finally got back on track.

Penn then scored the game's next nine points to cut the score to 68-61, but could not get any closer until the 3:37 mark when Alex Robinson (Jr., San Antonio, Texas, Texas-Pan American) hit two free throws, forcing the score to 80-75.

The Statesmen continued to chip away until finally taking the lead for good at 84-83 with 1:25 left on two more charity-stripe shots by Robinson.  Irony was not lost in Wednesday's nail-biter as Robinson, who entered the night at just 37.5% from the line (9-24), was 11-13 from the stripe to guide him to a season-high 22 points.

The game was still not decided until the final buzzer, however, despite Penn claiming a four-point lead on a pair of free throws from Joseph Powell (Sr., Raleigh, N.C., North Idaho CC) with 13 seconds left.  The Statesmen were awarded the free throws because of a Mount Mercy technical foul for calling a timeout it did not have.

A new rule that was implemented just a few years ago, however, allowed the Mustangs to retain possession and the hosts took advantage by burying a three-pointer just four seconds later.

Andre Thompson (Sr., Tacoma, Wash., Washington State) was immediately fouled on the ensuing possession and made both free throws to force the Mustangs to hit a last-second three-pointer to only tie the game.  Fortunately for Penn, the attempt by Lucas Blood went off-line and the Statesmen survived for the victory.

Powell led all players with a season-best 23 points on 7-11 shooting, including 5-6 from behind the arc and 4-4 at the line.  Thompson also reached double figures with 16 points, highlighted by a 7-8 performance at the charity stripe.

Caleb Stout (So., New Sharon, Kirkwood CC) added nine points, while Joe Womack (Jr., Tacoma, Wash., Lower Columbia CC) contributed eight in the win.

Kris Miller (So., Belleville, Mich., Belleville HS) had a tough shooting night (2-10) to net just six points, but he made up for it in other ways by leading Penn in rebounds (6), assists (5), and steals (3).  Thompson also had four assists, while Robinson and Stout tallied two steals apiece.  Robinson also had a team-best two blocks.

Penn, who shot just 41.8% for the evening, evened the game by owning a 10-6 edge in made three-pointers and a 25-20 advantage in made free throws.  The squads tied with 37 rebounds each, while the Statesmen were stronger in turnovers (16-21) and steals (11-5).

"This was a game we were supposed to lose, but we still managed to fight our way to victory," Statesmen Head Coach John Henry said.  "Our guys showed tremendous resilience and heart tonight.  Alex Robinson and Joe Powell were amazing.  This once again shows how special this team is."