2008 NEWMAC MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT - Coppola's 28 trigger upset, seventh-seeded Wheaton takes down number two Clark

February 27, 2008

WORCESTER, MA- Freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) nearly collected his fifth 30-point game of the season, as his 28 triggered the seventh-seeded Wheaton College men's basketball team's 78-74 upset of number two Clark University in the first round of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament on Wednesday in Kneller Athletic Center.

Wheaton improved to 13-11, as the seventh seed in the NEWMAC Tournament has now won each of its past four contests after the United States Coast Guard Academy's unexpected run through the 2007 tournament. The Lyons take on the third-seeded Bears in a Saturday semifinal at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 3:00 p.m., setting up a rematch from the same round as last year at the same site. Clark, which took both regular season meetings from Wheaton, finishes 12-13, as the three meetings this season were decided by a total of nine points.

Clark held a 66-65 edge with less than 6:30 remaining in regulation before a 7-0 Wheaton spurt put the Lyons on top for good. Sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) canned a go-ahead three-pointer at 6:12 before Coppola and junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) dropped in lay-ups 25 seconds apart to make it 72-66 at 5:04. Clark crept to within two points with 1:18 to go and had two chances to tie, but the Cougars missed a jumper at 31 seconds and committed a charge with 11 ticks left. Wheaton senior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) hit two freebies with 10 seconds left, and Clark's final two shots were off.

During a game in which neither team led by more than six points, the teams exchanged the lead on 21 occasions and played to six ties. A 10-3 Wheaton run in the opening period turned a one-point deficit into a 21-15 lead with 11:07 to go after senior Jake Otto's (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) three-point play. Clark came back to eventually go up by as much as five at 32-27, but the Lyons took their final first-half lead, 36-35, on a pair of Coppola free throws with 3:59 left. The Cougars scored 10 of the next 14 points, and Lyon junior Kristopher Pedra's (Avon, CT/Avon) jumper just before the buzzer made it 45-42 in favor of Clark at halftime.

Wheaton shot 52 percent in the opening half but did most of its damage from inside the arc, as the Lyons were 2-of-4 from three-point range and knocked down 14-of-15 free throw tries. Clark also shot well, going 8-of-14 on three-point buckets while making 6-of-10 two-point attempts.

A Coppola lay-up with 13:15 remaining in the game pushed Wheaton out in front by six, 59-53, but Clark responded with an 8-0 run. Coppola's jumper tied it at 61, and another lay-up by the freshman with 6:51 left put the visitors back on top by one, but Clark sophomore Mark Alexander (Providence, RI/Marianapolis Prep) dropped in a lay-up 17 seconds later to put the Cougars ahead, 66-65 and set up Wheaton's late rally.

Coppola went 11-of-18, hitting a pair of threes, while Leo added 14 points. Sophomore Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) added 10 points and seven rebounds as the Lyons shot 51.9 percent. Wheaton went 18-of-19 on free throw tries, as its 94.7 percent clip from the charity stripe was the second best in program history.

Alexander led Clark with 18 points, while senior D.J. Brinn (Madison, CT/Daniel Hand) and junior Salvatore DeMarco (Queens, NY/Poly Prep) added 12 apiece. The Cougars finished shooting 50.9 percent from the floor but went 0-of-8 from three-point range in the second half and 1-of-4 on free throw attempts in the period.

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