No. 4 Wildcats Fall to No. 1 William Penn in Heart Semifinals, 90-81

OSKALOOSA, Iowa – Despite 28 points from Jalen Patterson, the Baker men's basketball team lost in the Heart of America Conference Tournament Quarterfinals to William Penn on Saturday, 90-81.

Patterson led all scorers, going 8-of-14 from the field, while Justin Batts II and Quentin Harvey also reached double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively. Harvey just fell short of another double-double, pulling down nine rebounds in the game.

Neither team could gain a large lead early in the first half, but with 11:35 to play, Braden Griffiths sank a huge three-pointer and gave Baker a 17-16 lead. The lead changed hands a few times over the next couple of minutes, but with Baker trailing 23-22, neither team scored for almost three minutes until WPU took a 26-22 lead. On the very next possession, Rigatuso knocked down a big three and cut the lead to 26-25.

Baker was able to grab a lead late in the half, and a three-pointer from Patterson and another free throw, Baker took a 42-36 lead into halftime.

Just four minutes into the second half, the Statesmen had regained the lead and was able to stretch their lead to nine points with 12:43 to play. Two free throws with 7:40 to play cut the WPU lead to just four, but the Statesmen went on a quick run to push the lead back to 11.

With 1:15 left in the game, Patterson hit another three to bring the lead within four, but William Penn sank their free throws late and went on to win the game, 90-81.

Baker is now 22-8 on the season. They will now wait to find out if they will receive an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament. The NAIA Selection Show will be held on March 2, at 7 p.m.

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