Wheaton men succumb to host MIT, 65-53 in weekend conference game

January 13, 2007

CAMBRIDGE, MA- The Wheaton College men's basketball team held a slim three-point lead early in the first half against Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Saturday afternoon, as the two teams witnessed 12 lead changes and five ties, but the host Engineers pulled away late in the second half en route to a 65-53 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) win at Rockwell Cage.

Falling to 7-6 on the season and 1-3 in league play, the Lyons went cold in the second half after trailing at the intermission by just two. Wheaton made 27.6 percent of its shots in the latter period, while MIT caught fire and knocked down 63.2 percent of its shots. The Engineers are now 8-7 overall and 2-2 in the NEWMAC.

After spotting MIT the game's first four points, Wheaton rattled off the next seven, including five straight from senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut). Zukowski later knotted the contest at 10 at 12:19, but the hosts scored 10 of the game's next 11 points over a 4:26 span for a 21-11 advantage. The Engineers drained a trio of three-point buckets in that stretch. Trailing 25-17 with 3:29 left, the Lyons scored nine straight to regain the lead with 1:38 remaining. Three lead changes and two ties ensued, with an Engineer three capping the scoring to give MIT a 30-28 edge at the break.

Similar to the first stanza, the second half started with the Engineers scoring the first four points and Wheaton countering with the next seven, as the Lyons held a 35-34 edge with 14:12 to play. The lead changed hands five times, with MIT having the last say after senior Alex Krull (Boxford, MA/Masconomet Regional) hit a trey at 11:14. That was the start of a 14-0 Engineer run, one from which the Lyons were unable to recover. Wheaton got as close as eight on three occasions before running out of time, as MIT converted four straight free throws in the waning seconds to secure the win.

Zukowski paced the Lyons for the eighth time this season with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) contributed all nine of his points from beyond the three-point arc, while junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) accounted for eight points and five boards. Classmate David Harding (Hanover, MA/Boston College) added six points and five rebounds in the loss.

For MIT, sophomore Jimmy Bartolotta (Littleton, CO/Heritage) led all scorers with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. He also handed out a game-best nine assists with no turnovers, while pulling down five rebounds. Classmate Brandon Suarez (Tampa, FL/Berkeley Prep) recorded 16 points, including going 4-of-5 from long range, freshman Erich Bracht (Highlands Ranch, CO/Chaparral) turned in a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Krull added 11 markers.

Wheaton turns around in two days for a non-conference home game against Fitchburg State College. Monday night's tilt in Emerson Gymnasium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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