NORTON, Mass. – Seniors Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, Mass./Worcester Academy) and Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) combined to score 30 points in Wheaton College's 85-59 loss to Springfield College Wednesday night in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at Emerson Gymnasium.

Fresh off a win over nationally-ranked WPI on Saturday, the Lyons (8-7, 2-2 NEWMAC) shot just 31.8 percent from the field (21-of-66) and saw Springfield knock down 58.6 percent of its shots (34-of-58). The Pride (11-5, 3-1 NEWMAC) had four players in double-figures in scoring, led by junior Alex Berthiaume's (Springfield, Mass./St. Michael's College) game-high 24 points.

The Pride shot 50.0 percent in the first half but only led by three at the break (37-34) as Wheaton connected on five three-point field goals. Weeks scored seven points in the opening 5:54 of the contest to give the Lyons a 12-7 lead. Following a Springfield timeout, the Pride went on a 10-5 run and grabbed the lead at 17-16.

The two teams traded the lead a total of eight times in the first half, with Wheaton opening up a three-point advantage on a layup by freshman Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) with 5:03 on the clock. Sparked by five-straight points from sophomore Sean Martin (Rindge, N.H./Conant), Springfield grabbed a 28-26 lead before six points from Degnan gave Wheaton a two-point advantage. Ninety seconds later, Berthiaume drained a three-pointer to give Springfield the lead going to the locker room.

The contest remained tight through the first 10 minutes of the second half. A layup by Weeks with 16:42 on the clock tied the game at 41, but Berthiaume answered with a layup that gave the Pride the lead for good at 43-41. Junior Scott Faucher (Lebanon, N.H./Kimball Union) knocked down a three-pointer to cut the Wheaton deficit to one (49-48) with 12 minutes remaining before the Pride closed the game on a 36-11 run.

"If we could have scored a little more inside in the first half, I felt we could have taken the lead into halftime," said Lyons head coach Brian Walmsley. "We missed shots in the paint. In the end, Springfield's guards were not only great offensive players, but they're terrific defensively. I thought that was the best defensive perimeter combination we've seen this year. They did a good job on our guards. They got steals and generated points off them. That was the difference in the game."

The Pride dominated the glass, holding a 46-30 edge in rebounding, and turned 13 Wheaton turnovers into 25 points. They scored 54 of their 89 points in the paint and sank 15 of their 17 free throw attempts (88.2 pct.). Sophomore Robbie Burke (Cheshire, Mass./Colby-Sawyer College) posted a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds while Martin tallied 11 points, four rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists.

For Wheaton, sophomore Will Bayliss (Manchester, N.H./Tilton Academy) finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists while senior Shawn Daily (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Saint Michael Academy) registered seven points, six rebounds, and two blocks.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday when they host Babson at 4 p.m. Springfield hosts Clark Saturday at 1 p.m.