Leo, Michel record big nights in Wheaton's 69-64 win at Babson

January 16, 2008

BABSON PARK, MA- Behind big nights from junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) and sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School), the Wheaton College men's basketball team edged out host Babson College, 69-64 on Wednesday during New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action in Staake Gymnasium. The Lyons snapped a two-game losing streak in moving to 10-3 overall and 1-1 in league play, while the Beavers lost for the fifth time in six games and are now 4-10 and 1-2.

Leo and Michel combined to shoot 14-of-15 from the floor for a total of 33 points, as Leo tallied a team-best 18 on 7-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Leo, who also had nine rebounds and two blocks, tallied 15 of his points in the second half. Michel turned in a 7-of-7 performance to go along with five rebounds, four blocks and three assists.

Wheaton led by as many as seven points, at 17-10, during the early portion of the first half following junior Mark Sullivan's (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) offensive board and putback at 11:21, but the Beavers rallied with an 8-0 run to capture their first lead since 3-2. With 8:43 remaining, Michel hit a jumper that gave Wheaton the lead for good and sparked a 9-0 run. Freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) capped the stretch with a three-pointer that made the score 26-18 with 6:14 on the clock.

The Lyons headed into halftime with a 35-29 advantage after Michel hit all five of his field goal attempts while netting 11 points, helping Wheaton turn in a 53.8 percentage from the floor. The visitors outrebounded Babson, 18-10 during the opening stanza.

In the second half, the Beavers began play by trimming the Lyon lead to 37-36 at the 18:10 mark after senior Brian MacDonald (Beverly, MA/Bishop Fenwick) canned a three, but Leo responded 18 ticks later with a jumper that started a 6-0 run. Leo staked Wheaton to a pair of nine-point cushions by hitting a three-pointer at 9:26 and a lay-up with 7:43 left, and Coppola drained another long-range shot to make it 59-50 before the Beavers made a late push.

MacDonald and senior Kyle McDonald (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) combined to score 13 straight Babson points, including 12 following Coppola's trey, and the hosts trailed just 65-62 with 1:44 to play. Michel hit a jumper at 1:18 to push Wheaton's lead back to five and, after a Beaver bucket with 47 ticks left, he came back down and nailed another jumper at the 15-second mark. Leo blocked Babson's final attempt, and Michel came away with the rebound.

Wheaton shot 51.9 percent for the game, including 8-of-17 from beyond the arc, and finished with a 38-26 rebounding advantage. The Lyons' nine blocked shots tied for fourth in program history. Coppola added 13 points while hitting three threes.

McDonald tallied a game-high 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while MacDonald added 12 points. Babson connected on 41.8 percent of its shots, including 36.8 percent from deep.

Wheaton returns home for its next two games, both NEWMAC contests, beginning on Saturday against United States Coast Guard Academy at 3:00 p.m.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/16/08.
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