Bullets Men’s Basketball Dominate at Tip-Off Tournament
Bullets Men’s Basketball (Photo courtesy Gettysburg College Athletics)
By John Towey, Staff Writer
The Gettysburg Bullets hosted the Gettysburg Tip-Off tournament on Nov. 8 and 9. The weekend saw strong performances by the Bullets that carried them to winning the tournament.
The Bullets started off Friday with a 70-56 win over the Arcadia Knights. The Bullets took a commanding 7-0 lead which got extended to a 15-4 lead after a Nate Williams ’26 3-pointer. By the end of the first half, the Bullets were up 36-23.
For most of the second half, the Bullets’ lead kept building. With 11:08 left, the Bullets were up 53-36 after a successful free throw by Jordan Stafford ’25. While the Knights were able to narrow the gap to just seven points, a 3-pointer by Rassoul Abakar ’25 sealed a double digit lead.
Stafford led the team, scoring 18 points. Gettysburg advanced to play Ohio Northern for the championship game.
The next day, the Gettysburg Bullets narrowly defeated the Ohio Northern Polar Bears 59-57 to win the tournament.
The first half was neck and neck with multiple lead changes. A 3-pointer by Joseph Akim ’25 put the Bullets up by three before a layup by Stafford at the end of the half put them up 30-25.
The Polar Bears bounced back at the start of the second half, netting five points. With 16:33 on the clock, a jumper by Nate Williams ’26 gave the Bullets an eight point lead. The Polar Bears fought back hard, tying the game twice before the Bullets eked out a consistent lead. A good block by Aidan Mess ’26, his fifth of the game, practically sealed the game.
Carl Schaller ’25 led the team with 13 points. Lorenzo Carrara had an impressive showing, going 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.
The Bullets play on Saturday, Nov. 16 at home against the York College Spartans.
