Otto basket with 0.9 ticks left lifts Wheaton past Coast Guard, 60-59 during frantic finish

January 20, 2007

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College junior Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) hit a reverse lay-up with 0.9 seconds left before visiting United States Coast Guard Academy made only one of two foul shots with 0.5 ticks remaining, as the Lyons held on for a 60-59 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball win during Saturday afternoon's frantic finish at Emerson Gymnasium. Wheaton improves to 9-7 on the season and 2-4 in league play, while the Bears fall to 10-7 and 1-4.

After junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) knocked down two free throws, his seventh and eighth of the game, to give the hosts a 58-55 edge with 21 seconds left, Coast Guard junior Al Sowers (Monrovia, MD/Saint John's at Prospect Hall) drained a three to tie things up with 7.7 ticks to go, setting up the dramatic finish. Otto corralled an offensive rebound, one of 15 on the day for the Lyons, off a missed three before dropping in the game-winner. On Coast Guard's ensuing inbounds pass, a Wheaton bench player stepped out on to the floor to force a technical foul. The Bears retained possession after the free throws, and DiGiovanna intercepted a long pass to end the game.

After trailing for most of the first half and all but two possessions through the opening 14:49 of the second stanza, the Lyons used an 11-0 run during a 4:49 span to turn a 49-40 deficit into a 51-49 lead at 4:38. The two teams then endured three ties and two lead changes before Otto's last-second shot. DiGiovanna and freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) each came up big in the second half, with DiGiovanna hitting 8-of-9 freebies and scoring 12 points. After being held scoreless through the first frame, Leo made 4-of-7 shots, including a pair of long-range attempts, for 10 points.

In the first half, six different Wheaton players scored a basket during the first 11:45, as the Bears maintained a slim 15-12 edge. A DiGiovanna lay-in cut the Lyon deficit to one, but Coast Guard went on a 7-0 run for a 22-14 lead with 5:36 to go, as four different Bears got into the scoring column during the stretch. Coast Guard still held an eight-point advantage with under three minutes left before the Blue and White outscored the visitors, 7-3 the rest of the half in trimming its deficit to 29-25.

Coast Guard finished the game outshooting the hosts, as the Bears made 46.9 percent of their shots compared to Wheaton's 38.1 percent, but the Lyons held a 36-31 rebounding edge, including a decisive 15-6 advantage on the offensive boards. Each team took care of the ball, with Wheaton committing just three turnovers in the second half and Coast Guard having seven.

DiGiovanna led all scorers with 18 points in addition to his five rebounds, while Leo finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) had seven points and a team-best three assists, while freshman Andrew Ferreira (New London, NH/Kearsarge Regional) added seven points and four boards. Classmate Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) led the team with six rebounds.

Sowers had a team-high-tying 16 points and game-best five assists for the Bears, while freshman Eric Hudson (Altadena, CA/Naval Academy Prep) scored a season-high 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Junior Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, IN/Naval Academy Prep) posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.

The Lyons head back on the road Tuesday for a non-league game at Tufts University. Playing in the nightcap of a doubleheader with the Wheaton women in Medford, the men's game is slated to start at 8:00 p.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/25/07.
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