Wheaton finishes regular season on down note with 83-73 Senior Day loss against Roger Williams

February 17, 2007

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College men's basketball senior Brian Zukowski's (Dracut, MA/Dracut) team-best 24 points weren't enough to overcome visiting Roger Williams University on Senior Day, as the Lyons wrapped up their regular season slate on a down note Saturday following an 83-73 non-league loss in Emerson Gymnasium.

Wheaton, which dropped its fifth straight to fall to 10-14 overall, now turns its attention to the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament. Seeded sixth for Wednesday's first round, the Lyons will travel to number three Springfield College. Start time in Blake Arena has yet to be determined.

Roger Williams sophomore Tucker Bashaw (Williston, VT/Champlain Valley Union) turned in an outstanding performance off the bench, going a prefect 8-of-8 from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point territory and 5-of-5 from the free throw line for a game-best 25 points in just 25 minutes. Classmate William Barrett (Fairfield, CT/Fairfield) scored 20 points with six assists to help lead the Hawks, as the visitors finished the game shooting 58.8 percent, including a 64.0 percent clip in the second half. Roger Williams also made 11 of its 24 three-point attempts, including a 7-of-12 effort in the second frame.

Trailing 38-35 at the half, Bashaw hit his second three of the game to help Roger Williams knot the score at 38 to open the second period. Bashaw eventually gave the Hawks a 44-42 edge with a baseline jumper at 17:42, and he later hit a trey for a 47-42 lead. After the teams traded two threes each, Roger Williams junior Ben Camobreco (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) made a lay-up for a 55-48 lead with 12:56 left.

A three by freshman Rick Laughton (Durham, NH/Oyster River) saw the visitors capture their largest lead at the time at 58-50, but a reverse lay-in from the baseline by Wheaton sophomore Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) tied the contest at 58 with just under eight minutes left. Three more ties ensued before Zukowski completed a three-point play for a 65-64 edge at 5:07, but it proved to be Wheaton's last lead as the Hawks took a 12-2 run over a 2:59 span to put the game out of reach. Barrett contributed eight points alone during that stretch.

The Lyons began the game strong, as a trio of threes by sophomore Patrick Youreneff (Belle Mead, NJ/Montgomery) and freshmen Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) and Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) provided the hosts with an 11-2 advantage with 17:06 left in the half. Zukowski nailed the Lyons' fourth three at 15:47 for a 14-7 lead, but Barrett had five straight points to bring the Hawks to 14-12. Junior Dan Gumb (Patterson, NY/Kennedy Catholic) hit a long-range shot at 13:46 to give the visitors their first lead.

After leading 14-7, the Lyons missed seven straight shots while watching Roger Williams go on a 10-0 run for a 17-14 edge with 13:14 to play in the half. Wheaton responded with a 9-0 run during a 2:45 span, including a three-point basket from junior Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic), for a 23-17 advantage at 8:56. The Blue and White matched its largest lead of nine four times in the last 5:42 of the opening stanza, with the latter coming at 2:04 on a lay-up from sophomore Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) to make the score 38-29, but the Hawks scored six straight points to close out the half.

In addition to his scoring, Zukowski paced the Lyons with six rebounds and five assists, while Youreneff had a career-high 10 points.

Sophomore Ryan McGinn (Plattsburgh, NY/Peru) had 12 points and seven boards for the Hawks.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/17/07.
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