NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College men's basketball team was defeated by visiting Worcester State University, 73-55, this evening in the Championship Game of the 2022 Wheaton College Tip-Off Tournament at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons dip to 1-1 on the season, while the Lancers improve to 2-1.

Worcester State shot 49.1% (28-57) from the field, including 5-11 (45.5%) from three-point range and came up with 22 steals to contribute to 30 Wheaton turnovers.

First year guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) netted a career-high 14 points on 4-7 from the field, including 3-4 from three-point range and added two rebounds, four steals and an assist for the Lyons. Senior guard Alex Carlisle (Saint Johnsbury, Vt.) finished with 10 points, five boards, four assists and a steal and was namd to the All-Tournament Team and sophomore forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) contributed with 11 points and five rebounds.

Junior guard Brandon Goris (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Lancers with 14 points on 4-6 shooting and added a game-high six steals, four assists and two rebounds. Graduate student guard Zion Hendrix (Charlotte, N.C.) netted 12 points, grabbed five rebounds and came up with five steals and was later named to the All-Tournament Team. Sophomore guard Aaron Nkrumah (Worcester, Mass.) chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Tournament Most Valuable Player Erik Bjorn (Holden, Mass.) scored 11 points, pulled down eight rebounds and blocked a shot.

Herry made one of two free throws for Wheaton to pull the host even at 44-44 with 11:04 to play in the game, but Worcester State put together a suffocating 18-1 run, fueled by seven points from Hendrix to effectively put the game out of reach at 62-45 with 4:35 remaining in the second half. The teams traded points in the final minutes as the Lancers maintained their advantage. 

Worcester State scored seven of the first nine points of the game, including four from Nkrumah, to take a 7-2 lead with 15:39 left in the opening half. The Lyons responded with an 18-6 stretch, paced by eight points from Herry, to take a 20-13 advantage and their biggest lead with 8:56 showing on the first half clock.

Junior guard Sam Dion (Barre, Mass.) knocked down a three-pointer to cap a 10-4 run and pull the visitors to within 24-23 with 3:58 left in the half. Bjorn later converted a layup with 71 seconds left in the half to give the Lancers a 30-28 lead, before taking a 32-31 edge into the break.

Worcester State opened up a 44-37 lead later in the half with 13:07 remaining in the half, before Wheaton reeled off seven unanswered points, including five from Herry, to pull even at 44-44.

The Lyons return to action on Wednesday, November 16 when they travel to Boston, Mass. to take on Wentworth Institute of Technology at 6:00 p.m., while the Lancers host Williams College on November 15 at 7:00 p.m.