Mustangs rout William Penn, earn statement win

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The Mount Mercy men's basketball team was in search of their first win of the season, but ended that in dominating fashion last night in a Heart of America Athletic Conference matchup with William Penn. The Mustangs controlled the momentum from the tip and defeated the Statesmen, 92-73, for their first win over William Penn in the last five years.

The Mustangs and Statesmen traded baskets early on in an up-tempo affair, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Aidan Yamilkoski on consecutive possessions put Mount Mercy in front. The Mustangs held William Penn to just nine points in the first nine and half minutes of the game, building a 15-point lead. Yamilkoski would go on to drain two more from behind the arc in the first half coupled with Riley Pankey and Will Raife both knocking down two treys apiece. The Mustangs connected on 9-of-18 long balls in the first twenty minutes for a 49-41 advantage at the break. 

Two straight 3-pointers from William Penn's Mike Elliot, brought the Statesmen within three, 58-55, five minutes into the second half, but Yamilkoski answered right away with his own 3-pointer. William Penn (2-6, 1-3 Heart) tried to make another run right before the media timeout but a five-point swing by Raife alone saw the Mustangs lead go from 10 to 15 and forced William Penn to burn a timeout. Mount Mercy led by as many as 22 and never allowed William Penn to get within shouting distance again.

Mount Mercy shot 53.2% from the field and 46.2% from beyond the arc. The Mustangs battled with the Statesmen on the glass, only being out-rebounded by five (38-33) despite the height difference. Mount Mercy shared the basketball really well, assisting on 21 of their 33 baskets, compared to just seven assists for the Statesmen. 

Ryan Bartley had a game-high 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting, highlighted by two monster dunks and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line down the stretch. In just his third game and second start of his career, Yamilkoski erupted for 18 points, knocking down five 3-pointers while also grabbing four rebounds. Anthony Horton, Jr. recorded a double-double after scoring all 12 of his points in the second half to go along with 13 assists and seven rebounds. Raife, Pankey, and Jakari Bradley were huge off the bench. Raife finished with 11 points and Pankey nine points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Bradley came in and connected on a clutch old-fashioned three-point play. 

Mount Mercy (1-5, 1-2 Heart) stays at home for their next two Heart games following the holiday break. The Mustangs host Missouri Valley (1-6, 0-3 Heart) on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 pm and Park (Mo.) (4-3, 2-1 Heart) on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 2:00 pm. Both games will be played inside Hennessey Rec Center.