Statesmen Secure Tournament Championship at Governors State

University Park, Ill.--The William Penn men's basketball team opened the season in dominant fashion, claiming the Governors State Tip-Off Classic title this weekend with a pair of convincing wins. The Statesmen cruised past East-West 113–52 Friday before defeating host Governors State 96–84 Saturday to move to 3–0 on the year.

Three Statesmen earned All-Tournament honors: Malik Larane (Jr., Palmdale, Calif., Sports Management), Foday Sheriff (Jr., Upper Darby, Pa., Business Management), and Donovan Rodriguez (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., Sports Management), who was named Tournament MVP.

WPU 113, East West (0-2) 52

The Statesmen wasted no time asserting control, racing out to a 23–6 lead midway through the first half. East-West briefly trimmed the deficit to 25–11 before William Penn closed the half on a 26–10 surge to take a commanding 51–21 lead at intermission.

Sheriff led the early charge with 10 points and seven rebounds by halftime, while Larane and Javion Belle-McCrary (Sr., Reform, Ala., Sports Management) added nine and eight, respectively.

The second half was more of the same as WPU opened with 17 unanswered points in just over four minutes. Even with the bench taking over, the Statesmen maintained control, closing the contest with a 22–2 run sparked by a three-pointer from Gabe Hora (Fr., University Park, Ill., Sports Management).

Belle-McCrary paced the offense with 17 points, while Sheriff and Larane each added 14. Sheriff completed a double-double with 11 rebounds, and Javin Tindall (Jr., Albuquerque, N.M., Sports Management) contributed nine boards.

William Penn shot 51% from the field compared to East-West's 24.2% and dominated on the glass 73–53. The Statesmen tallied 30 assists and 64 bench points, with 15 different players contributing to the final score.

"We're happy to start the season 2–0," said Head Coach John Henry. "Tomorrow's game will be a great test for us and a high-tempo contest. We're looking forward to it."

WPU 96, Governors State (1-2) 84

Saturday's championship matchup proved more competitive early, with neither team leading by more than four points until late in the first half. Down 24–20 at the 7:01 mark, the Statesmen responded with a 16–6 run to take control before entering halftime ahead 36–30.

Larane and Sheriff led the first-half effort with 12 and 11 points apiece despite the team shooting just 34.3% from the floor and 12.5% from beyond the arc.

The Statesmen settled in after the break, building a 14-point cushion at 57–43. Governors State tried to rally, but William Penn maintained its lead the rest of the way.

Rodriguez anchored the offense with 26 points, while Sheriff and Larane followed with 21 and 18. Sheriff notched his second double-double of the weekend with 10 rebounds, and Larane added nine. Alif Bass (Jr., Newark, N.J., Sports Management) directed the offense with seven assists.

The Statesmen shot 47.1% overall and 29.2% from deep after a cold first half. GSU was limited to 37.7% from the field and just 14.3% from three. WPU also held slight edges in rebounds (54–53), assists (20–12), and bench points (35–31), while forcing 21 turnovers that led to 24 points.

"Governors State has a really good team full of athletes, so this is a great win for us on the road," Henry said. "We were a little sloppy in the final minutes, but learning while winning is always a better feeling. The team showed great energy and togetherness all weekend."

Up Next: The Statesmen return home Thursday to host Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) in non-conference play. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. inside Penn Gymnasium.