Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (13-3, 4-1) Ties Program Winning Streak with 11th Straight Victory

The Wheaton College men's basketball team tied a school record for consecutive victories last week, as the Lyons extended their winning streak to 11 games for the second time in the 16-year history of the program before having that streak snapped by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). In the midst of a five-game homestand, Wheaton defeated Tufts University, 91-79 on Tuesday and Fitchburg State College, 86-74 on Thursday in a pair of non-conference games. On Saturday, the Lyons dropped their first New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game of the season with a narrow 69-67 loss to WPI.

Against Tufts, the contest stayed close for the first eight minutes of play, with the third tie of the game taking place with 12:49 to go. Tufts hit a three for a 15-12 edge, but Wheaton used a 13-0 run to capture a 25-15 advantage midway through the stanza. The Jumbos managed to get as close as five with 8:55 remaining, but the hosts eventually sprinted on a 13-2 run to capture the biggest lead of the half at 39-23 with 4:18 remaining. The Jumbos started the second half strong, outscoring Wheaton, 15-6 in the first five minutes to climb all the way back to within four points. The Lyons were able to withstand Tufts' offensive pressure, however, extending their lead to seven on a Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) trey with 13:26 left. Leading 59-54 with 12:26 on the clock, Wheaton went on a 13-4 spurt to regain its double-digit advantage at 72-58 with just over eight minutes to play. The Jumbos refused to quit and got as close as six on two occasions, with the latter coming with 1:27 to go, but the Lyons made six critical free throws down the stretch to secure the win. Stanton posted a season-high tying 25 points, while sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) added 13 points.

Versus Fitchburg State, Wheaton sprinted out to a 7-2 lead, but the Falcons responded and used a 14-2 run to take a 16-9 advantage with 14:44 remaining. The Lyons bounced back to knot the score at 16 with 12:14 to play after freshman Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) buried a three-point shot. The two teams then traded buckets in a stanza that saw seven lead changes, but Wheaton eventually went on a 9-0 spurt to extend its lead to 30-22 with 4:18 remaining. Fitchburg State got to within six, but the hosts finished the half strong, as Zukowski scored six of his 12 first-half points down the stretch to give the Lyons a comfortable 40-31 lead at the intermission. The Falcons stayed close in the second stanza and eventually tied the game on a three-point basket, but were unable to take the lead as the Lyons outscored Fitchburg, 18-6 over a five-minute span for a 70-58 advantage. Wheaton led by as many as 14 points with 6:48 remaining, as the Falcons would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way. Zukowski posted a career-high tying 23 points, while senior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) reeled off 17 second-half points and finished with a then season-high 19 points.

Against WPI, the hosts began the game on an offensive shooting spree, knocking down 12 of their first 16 shots. Wheaton maintained a 34-21 lead following a three from Johnston with 6:49 to play, but from that point forward, the Engineers shut down the Blue and White attack and outscored the Lyons, 16-3 to knot the game at 37 apiece entering the break. Wheaton led through the majority of the second half and held a pair of six-point advantages in the latter part of the stanza, including a 58-52 lead with 7:27 to go. The Engineers responded to tie the game on three occasions and eventually took their first lead of the contest on a jumper with two minutes to play. Following a steal and two free throws by junior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School), the hosts knotted things up at 64 with 1:07 to go. Trailing by three following a conventional three-point play from WPI, the Lyons used a free throw from Stanton and two more freebies by Vega after an Engineer turnover to tie the game with three ticks on the clock. Following a timeout, the Engineers hit a running one-handed lay up and held on for the dramatic win as Wheaton's last-second three ended up falling short. Vega posted a season-high 21 points, while Stanton finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Johnston added 10 points, while senior Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) had a career-best 12 boards.

Women's Basketball (5-10, 2-3) Falls to Babson, Upsets Coast Guard in Conference Play

The Wheaton College women's basketball team split a pair of NEWMAC games with Babson College and the United States Coast Guard Academy last week, as the Lyons lost to the host Beavers, 75-56 in Babson Park on Tuesday. Wheaton then upset the Bears, 73-64 in Emerson Gym on Saturday.

At Babson, the two teams combined for 12 turnovers in the first 4:20 and were knotted at 8-8 with 12:44 remaining. Wheaton capitalized on a lay up by sophomore Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) followed by a pair of free throws from classmate Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) to take a four-point advantage. The Lyons built a 19-14 lead when senior Vanessa Savas (Belmont, MA/Belmont) knocked down a jumper with 7:49 to go, but that would be the final field goal of the stanza for Wheaton, as Babson closed the half with an incredible 23-1 run and commanding 37-20 lead. The Beavers stretched their lead to 19 to open the second period, but a McCormack lay up ended the scoring drought with 17:19 left. Consecutive baskets by senior co-captain Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) and sophomore Michelle Portilla (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis) cut Wheaton's deficit to 15 points but the Lyons would get no closer, as Babson led by as many as 25 late in the half. McCormack posted a game-high tying 14 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Samara Audet (Derry, NH/Trinity) contributed nine points in the loss.

Versus Coast Guard, the Bears jumped out to an 11-5 lead on three early treys, but the Lyons eventually narrowed their deficit to four at the 7:36 minute mark thanks to a three-point bucket from Audet. Senior Mary Flaherty (Mattapoisett, MA/Old Rochester) later capped off an 8-0 run with a three to tie the game at 19. The squads exchanged baskets for the final few minutes of the half until McCormack notched a lay up and a free throw with 40 seconds left to give Wheaton a 29-26 lead. A pair of free throws for each squad finished off the half, as the Lyons headed into the locker room with a 31-28 edge. In the second half, a lay up from freshman Courtney Riley (Quincy, MA/Fontbonne Academy) sparked a 13-2 run that gave the Lyons a commanding 47-32 lead with 16:14 remaining in the game. Coast Guard countered with a 7-1 run to keep the contest from slipping away, but Wheaton nailed its free throws down the stretch to clinch the victory. Riley posted a season-high 16 points and nine boards, while Flaherty notched a career-high tying 15 points and career-best five three-pointers. Audet contributed a career-high 14 points, while Williams finished with 12 points. McCormack recorded her first double-double performance of the season with 10 points and a season-high tying 11 rebounds.

Men's (7-4) and Women's (9-4) Swimming Splits Dual Meet with Bentley College

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams needed the final event to settle their dual meet with Bentley College on Saturday afternoon, as the women's squad posted a program-best ninth victory of the season with a 152-136 win. The men, who are also enjoying their most successful regular season to date, suffered only their fourth defeat of the year at 151-148.

The freshman tandem of Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) combined for four individual-event wins, as Miller took the 100- and 200-yard freestyles in 55.66 and 2:02.49, respectively, while Pratt set a new school record in the 50-yard butterfly in 27.51 and captured a win in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.44. Sophomore Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa) recorded a victory in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:20.85 and also broke the school mark in the 200-yard breaststroke with a second-place time of 2:36.21. Classmate Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) rounded out the victories in the 200-yard butterfly in 2:21.63. The women's squad also captured both relay victories, as Miller, Smith, Bohn and senior Amanda Berthelette (Milford, NH/Milford) recorded a time of 1:57.18 in the 200-yard medley relay. Berthelette anchored the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team, joining senior Nicole Bassaleh (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield), junior Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook) and freshman Elizabeth McKay (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional) with a time of 1:43.32.

Sophomore co-captain Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) and freshman Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) headed the men's side, scoring three individual victories apiece. Roberts captured the 50-yard freestyle in 21.84, the 100-yard freestyle in 48.41 and the 200-yard freestyle in 1:51.96. Jordan matched the effort, earning a win and school record in the 50-yard backstroke in 25.17, a victory in the 200-yard back in 2:03.87 and a win in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 24.87. Freshman Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) also broke a school mark in the 1,000-yard freestyle event with a time of 10:27.68, while sophomore Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) took top honors in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:18.30. Wheaton picked up both relay victories, as Jordan, Hurley, senior co-captain Chris Klinkow (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline) and freshman Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington) recorded a win in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:41.64. Roberts, Klinkow, Patch and junior John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) also swam the top time in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:31.07.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
Questions about this page? Use our query form.

News

Women's Soccer: Hough's tally sends Wheaton past Emmanuel, Leddy notches third shutout (more)

Women's Tennis: Geocaris and Teague draw weekly tennis honors from NEWMAC (more)