Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University men's basketball team achieved their first victory of the season with a decisive 84-54 win against Tiffin on Saturday afternoon. The game, held at Wayne State's Fieldhouse, saw the Warriors shooting an impressive 58.9 percent from the field, marking their best performance in over seven years.

In the first half, Carlos Paul III initiated a strong start for Wayne State with a 10-4 run, contributing five points alongside Rob Lee Jr.'s five points. Despite Tiffin narrowing the gap to 10-8, Wayne State responded with a 12-point streak to extend their lead to 22-8. Jordan Briggs added five points during this run, supported by contributions from Tamario Adley and Lee Jr.

Wayne State maintained control throughout the first half, reaching an 18-point lead before ending it with a ten-point advantage at 43-33.

The second half opened with Adley's free throw and layup increasing Wayne State's lead to 46-33. Although Tiffin briefly reduced the deficit to ten points after Allen Fordham's three-pointer, Wayne State consistently maintained and extended their lead. By game's end, they outscored Tiffin by twenty points in the final half alone.

Statistically, Wayne State dominated in several areas: shooting percentage (58.9%), rebounds (32-24), assists (22 compared to Tiffin’s nine turnovers), and various scoring categories including points off turnovers and bench contributions.

Leading scorers for Wayne included Carmelo Harris with a game-high of 16 points followed by Paul III with 13. Other key contributors were Briggs (11), Adley (10), and Jon Brantley (10). All eleven players who participated scored for Wayne State.

For Tiffin, Fordham led with 15 points while John Muhammad added twelve. Caleb Bates contributed defensively along with KJ Pruitt who provided six assists.

Wayne State is set to face Lewis next on Tuesday at Neil Carey Arena.