2007 NEWMAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - Lyons close season with hard-fought 62-60 loss to Coast Guard in semis

February 24, 2007

WORCESTER, MA- The Wheaton College men's basketball team finished its season at the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament Saturday afternoon at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), as the sixth-seeded Lyons fell to seventh seed United States Coast Guard Academy, 62-60 in a semifinal at Harrington Auditorium.

Wheaton completes the year with an 11-15 record, while the Bears, who advance to their first conference championship game, improve to 13-13 overall. Coast Guard faces host WPI in tomorrow's title game at 12:00 p.m.

Coast Guard junior Al Sowers (Monrovia, MD/Saint John's at Prospect Hall) buried a fadeaway baseline jumper with 24.7 ticks on the clock, and Wheaton's attempt to tie in the waning seconds was off the mark, as the Bears corralled the rebound as time expired. Lyon sophomore Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) hit a free throw to tie the contest at 58 after an intentional foul with 2:45 to go and senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) evened the score at 60 at 2:24.

Earlier in the half, a 7-0 run that included Pedra's third three of the game and four free throws from Zukowski and sophomore Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) tied the score at 45. The game of runs continued from that point forward, this time with the Bears reeling off six consecutive points to lead 51-45 at 8:38. A three and driving lay-up from sophomore Mark Sullivan (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) brought the Lyons within one with 7:10 remaining, and freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) drained Wheaton's sixth three of the contest to knot the game at 53.

Junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover), who returned to the lineup after going down with an injury in the first frame, started the second stanza with a three-point play. A free throw and lefthanded turnaround in the lane by Michel ignited a 9-0 Wheaton run. Zukowski steals on back-to-back possessions with ensuing fast-break lay-ups by Zukowski and Leo, and a jumper by junior Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) gave the Lyons a 37-33 edge at 14:54. A 12-1 response, including six points from junior Grant Johnson (Grayson, GA/Parkview), put Coast Guard in front by five.

With Wheaton trailing 6-2 to open the first half, Pedra knocked down threes on consecutive possessions for the Lyons' first advantage of the game at 14:48. Coast Guard used a 13-2 run during a 3:48 span for a 19-10 lead, as juniors Steve Blum (Farmington, CT/Farmington) and Jeff Prebeck (Columbus, IN/Naval Academy Prep) combined for all 13 points. Six straight Wheaton points narrowed its deficit to 19-16 before the Bears scored seven of the next nine thanks to a huge rebounding effort. To that point, Coast Guard held a 17-8 advantage on the glass, including an 11-3 edge on the offensive end.

Down 26-18 with 4:12 to play before intermission, the Lyons scored five straight on a three-point play started by DiGiovanna and completed by Otto, followed by a Zukowski jumper. Sowers knocked down a shot from beyond the arc to give the Bears a 29-23 edge at the half. Coast Guard finished with a 21-12 advantage on the boards, with Prebeck hauling down eight to go along with his team-high 10 points. Pedra led seven Wheaton scorers with six points. The Bears held an 18-8 edge in paint points and an 11-0 advantage in second-chance points.

Pedra and Zukowski paced the Lyons with 10 points apiece, while DiGiovanna and Otto had nine each. Sullivan, Michel and Leo rounded out a balanced scoring attack with eight, seven and six points, respectively. Zukowski led Wheaton with four rebounds and three assists to go along with a team-high-tying two steals.

Prebeck recorded a double-double performance with game highs of 20 points and 15 rebounds, as he shot 8-of-12 from the field for Coast Guard. Blum, Burgess and Johnson tallied 10 points apiece, while Sowers added nine.

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