Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (11-2, 4-0) Remains Unbeaten in NEWMAC, Extends Win Streak to Nine

The Wheaton College men's basketball team remained unbeaten in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) this week, as the Lyons posted a thrilling 81-79 victory over nationally-ranked Springfield College on Tuesday followed by an 82-70 win against the United States Coast Guard Academy in Emerson Gymnasium on Saturday. Wheaton extended its winning streak to nine games, marking the second-most consecutive victories in school history. The Lyons also began their conference slate at 4-0 for the first time in the NEWMAC's seven-year existence.

At Springfield, senior Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) exploded for 19 second-half points to help Wheaton overcome a 13-point deficit. Sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) scored the Lyons' first eight points for an 8-6 lead with 14:36 to play. The Pride then went on a 7-0 run for a 13-8 advantage. Freshman Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) gave the visitors a 26-25 lead, but Springfield responded with a jumper with less than two minutes to play. The Lyons, however, scored the final basket of the half for a 28-27 edge. In the second half, the Pride used an 18-4 run to take a commanding 45-32 advantage with 15:19 remaining. Wheaton began to chip away at the deficit, but Springfield maintained a 61-52 lead with 7:49 to go. Stanton, however, quickly erased the Pride lead, draining a trio of three-pointers in a span of 2:05 to key a critical 11-0 run while giving the Lyons a 63-61 edge with 5:16 on the clock. Stanton once again came up huge, knocking down a three to tie the contest at 68-68 and later hitting his fifth trey of the half for a 73-71 lead. Stanton finished the game with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Zukowski accounted for 15 points. Junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) added 13 points and a team-high seven assists.

Against Coast Guard and with the game tied at 10, the Blue and White used an 8-0 run to make the score 18-10. Coast Guard responded with 10 unanswered points on the strength of two threes midway through the half, but the Lyons reclaimed the advantage on a three-point play by senior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) and later closed out the half with a 10-2 run to send the Bears into the locker room with a 41-34 deficit at the half. Zukowski helped give the Lyons a 10-point lead early in the second half, but back-to-back field goals by the Bears cut their deficit to six. Coast Guard notched a three to make the score 55-48, but the Blue and White used the next seven minutes to stretch their lead to as many as 16. The Bears got as close as six with 3:10 on the clock, using a 10-0 run to put the Lyons on their heels, but Wheaton reeled off six straight points to put the game out of reach. The hosts finished the game with 14 three-pointers, which ties for the second-most three-pointers in school history set on March 6, 1993 against Babson. Zukowski and Kelly had 19 points each, as Zukowski recorded a career-high tying five three-pointers. Stanton also tied a career-high in threes with six makes and 18 points.

Zukowski Earns First NEWMAC Co-Player-of-the-Week Honor

Zukowski captured NEWMAC Co-Player-of-the-Week honors for the week ending on Sunday, January 9. Zukowski headed Wheaton's offensive attack, as the Lyons went 2-0 by defeating Clark University, 77-59 in Emerson Gymnasium and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 74-64 in Cambridge. The sophomore guard averaged 18.5 points per game and shot an impressive 9-of-13 (.692) from behind the three-point arc and 13-of-24 (.542) from the field. Zukowski also grabbed 3.5 rebounds and distributed 2.5 assists per contest. He tallied 14 points against Clark, including a 4-of-8 (.500) showing from three-point land while collecting three assists and three steals. At MIT, Zukowski posted a career-high 23 points, shooting 8-of-12 (.667) from the floor and a perfect 5-of-5 (1.000) from the arc.

Women's Basketball (4-9, 1-2) Records 1-2 Week, Cruises Past Albertus Magnus

The Wheaton College women's basketball team recorded a 1-2 mark overall, as the Lyons began the week with a hard-fought 64-58 road conference loss at Wellesley College on Tuesday. Wheaton bounced back on Thursday to down Albertus Magnus College, 75-47 in non-conference action in Emerson Gymnasium. On Saturday, the Lyons suffered a 69-62 road setback to Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in a NEWMAC contest.

At Wellesley, both teams battled back and forth for the majority of the first stanza, with neither team having more than a five-point advantage until the 4:21 minute mark. Tied at 22 with 7:13 to play, the Lyons went on a 9-3 run to take their biggest lead of the half at 31-25. However, Wellesley fought back in the late minutes of the frame to tie the contest at 35 apiece heading into the break. In the second half, a Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) jumper gave Wheaton a slim 45-42 lead at 16:11, but Wellesley countered with a trey, tying the contest for the eighth time. Knotted at 56-56 with just over two minutes to go, the Blue used a 6-0 run to gain their biggest lead of the night. Senior Vanessa Savas (Belmont, MA/Belmont) trimmed the deficit to 62-58, but Wellesley eliminated any comeback threat by nailing two free throws in the waning seconds. Senior co-captain Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) led the way with 11 points, five rebounds and three steals, while freshman Courtney Riley (Quincy, MA/Fontbonne Academy) dropped in 10 points with five rebounds and four blocks.

The Lyons had a record-setting night against Albertus Magnus, led by Wheaton's three-point field goal percentage. Making 7-of-11 from behind the arc, the .636 shooting percentage tied the school's all-time record. Their overall shooting percentage of .593 stands as the second-highest in Wheaton's laurels, as the squad knocked down 32-of-54 from the floor including an 18-of-28 (.643) clip in the second half. The Lyons also dished out a season-high 23 assists, which ties for the fifth-highest total in school history. Leading 18-15 with 7:35 to play, the Lyons used a 10-2 spurt over a three-minute span to take a 28-17 advantage. McCormack started the second half with a lay up for a double-digit advantage that was not relinquished. With a comfortable 44-30 lead with 14:09 remaining, the Lyons outscored the Falcons, 20-6 over the next seven plus minutes to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) paced Wheaton's balanced scoring attack with a season-high 15 points, while senior Jessica Pine (Pottstown, PA/The Hill School) finished with a career-high nine points.

At WPI, sophomore Michelle Portilla (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis) and Williams gave the Lyons an early lift, as Portilla opened the game with a lay up before Sorbara forced a turnover to set up a Williams three for the quick 5-0 start. Trailing 7-2 with 17:38 to play, WPI went on an 11-2 run for the 13-9 advantage. Battling nip-and-tuck for most of the first stanza, the Engineers eventually began to pull away near the five-minute mark, using an 11-0 run to give the Engineers a decisive 28-20 advantage. The Blue and White notched consecutive baskets before the half concluded, however, cutting the halftime deficit to 28-24. WPI began the second half with two more free throws to take the 30-24 lead, but another Portilla field goal brought the Lyons back to within four. That would be as close as the visitors would get, as an 11-2 Engineer spurt put WPI up by 13 with 13:01 on the clock. The Lyons later trailed by seven after a Williams trey made the score 58-51, but the Engineers hit their free throws down the stretch, going 16-of-19 (.842) from the charity stripe in the second half. Williams paced the offense with a season-high 18 points, while Portilla added a season-best 11 points.

Men's (7-3) and Women's (8-4) Swimming Splits Double-Dual Meet with Connecticut College & Trinity

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams took on Connecticut College and Trinity College Saturday afternoon in a non-conference double-dual meet held at Wesleyan University. The men's team captured its highest single-season win total in school history with the sweep over Connecticut College, 138-137 and Trinity, 151-137. For the women, Wheaton suffered a narrow 151-143 defeat to Trinity and a 193-101 decision to Connecticut College.

Wheaton's underclassmen led the way for the men, as sophomore co-captain Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) and freshman Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) combined for all four of the Lyons' event victories. Roberts captured wins in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events with times of 21.88 and 48.60, respectively, while Jordan turned in the meet's fastest times of 55.19 in the 100-yard backstroke and 2:02.01 in the 200-yard back. The Blue and White also picked up a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay, as senior co-captain Chris Klinkow (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline), junior John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) and freshmen Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) and Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington) combined for a 3:24.52 finish.

The women collected two event victories, as sophomore Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) broke a school record in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:16.38. Senior Amanda Berthelette (Milford, NH/Milford) also picked up a win in the 200-yard backstroke, setting the pace with a time of 2:19.34. First-year Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) turned in an impressive performance in the 100-yard freestyle, finishing a strong second while tying a school record in 55.05.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Continues Indoor Season at Tufts Invitational

The Wheaton College men's and women's indoor track and field teams continued their seasons at the Tufts University Invitational in the Gantcher Family Sports & Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. The women placed third overall among 11 teams with 101 points, while the men finished seventh in the nine-team field with 27 points.

The women captured three wins on the day, including senior Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) in the high jump, junior Noelle Battista (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) in the pole vault and the 4x200-meter relay team. Wallace just missed a NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying height with a 5' 3 3/4" clearance in the high jump, while Battista posted her second provisional standard with a vault of 11' 6". The winning relay, comprised of Battista, sophomore Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) and freshmen Joell Whitley (Magnolia, NJ/Triton Regional) and Chelsea Nader (Ardmore, PA/Lower Menan), finished in 1:48.05.

The Lyons had a strong showing in the 3,000-meter event, led by freshman Megan Brousseau (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) as the runner-up with a time of 10:37.22. Junior Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional) took fourth in 10:53.25, while senior Lindsay Whalen (Dedham, MA/Dedham) was fifth with a time of 11:08.17. Other top-five finishes came from Harlow in the 55-meter hurdles, high jump and long jump, Wallace in the triple jump, Swieta in the high jump, Whitley in the long jump, senior Marcie Howard (Ascutney, VT/Windsor) in the pole vault and sophomore Crystal Blamy (Walpole, NH/Fall Mountain Regional) in the high jump.

Junior Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) led the men with a victory in the 200-meter dash and a fourth-place mark in the 55-meter event. Sisodia finished the 200M in 22.64 and the 50M with a time of 6.66, just 16-hundredths of a second off the pace of a NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time. Senior Jamaal Rawls-Payton (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) advanced to the finals in the 55-meter hurdles and took sixth overall with a time of 8.37. Freshman Kyle Judkins (Scarborough, ME/Scarborough) finished fourth in the pole vault.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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