Kelly's career highs propel Wheaton past Babson on Senior Day

February 18, 2006

NORTON, MA- Senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) tallied a career-high 28 points while matching his career best of eight steals to help the Wheaton College men's basketball team celebrate Senior Day with a 74-63 victory over New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Babson College on Saturday at Emerson Gymnasium.

Wheaton completes its regular season with a 15-9 overall mark and 6-6 in the conference. As the fourth seed in the upcoming NEWMAC Tournament, the Lyons will host fifth-seeded Springfield College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. Babson is 9-16 and 3-9 and will be the tournament's seventh seed.

The lead went back and forth early in the opening period, as senior Ben Davis (Dudley, MA/Shepherd Hill Regional) canned a three-pointer to give the Lyons their first edge at 3-2, marking the first of seven lead changes during a 3:53 span. Senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) twice netted hoops to put Wheaton back on top before Kelly gave the Blue and White the lead for good, 9-8 on a lay-up at 14:55.

A Kelly-assisted bucket by sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) pulled the Lyons to their largest first-half lead, 19-12 at 10:30 before the Beavers scored six straight points. However, Kelly gave Wheaton a 28-22 advantage with a pair of freebies at 4:25, and the hosts took a 34-31 lead into the break. Kelly led all scorers with 11 points during the opening stanza.

During the second half, Kelly once again played an integral role, helping the Lyons break open a one-point game to lead by as many as 14. After Babson sophomore Kyle McDonald (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) knocked down a pair of free throws to bring the Beavers within 36-35 at 19:11, Kelly went to work, playing a hand in 29 of Wheaton's final 38 points. The senior point guard recorded 17 points and three assists during that time while also making outlet passes for a pair of fast-break hoops. Greenslit added eight points during a 2:59 span, canning two three-pointers. DiGiovanna knocked down his first career long-range shot at 5:04 off Kelly's helper to give Wheaton a 63-53 lead, and the Lyons never led by less than six the rest of the way.

Kelly went 7-of-16 from the floor and 12-of-17 on free throws while contributing six assists and five rebounds in 39 minutes. His steal total matched a season and career high and tied for the second highest in Division III this season. DiGiovanna and Greenslit each netted 12 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while DiGiovanna corralled seven rebounds and three steals. The Lyons hit 45.5 percent of their shots, including 7-of-16 from beyond the arc.

McDonald paced the Beavers with 15 points, while junior Brandon Eigenberg (Milford, CT/Franklin) tallied 12 as Babson shot 52.4 percent from the field. Freshman Zach Etten (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline) snagged a game-high tying seven rebounds, while senior Brian Parsons (Queensbury, NY/Glens Falls) blocked three shots.

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