Box Score Battaglia records a career-high 13 points for Lyons
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wheaton College men's basketball team fell to Springfield College, 92-51, in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Wednesday night at James Naismith Court.
Freshman guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./The Taft School) scored a career-high 13 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to lead the Lyons. Sophomore Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) contributed ten points, six rebounds and two assists while classmate Mike O'Loughlin (Milford, N.H./Milford) added ten points and one board.
Senior guard Alex Berthiaume (Springfield, Mass./St. Michael's) poured in a game-high 28 points on 10-for-13 shooting (6-for-6 from long distance), three assists, two steals and two caroms for the Pride. Sophomore guard Josh Altman (Rockport, Mass./Bridgton Academy) filled the state sheet with 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. Senior guard Jordan Rote (Sheffield, Mass./Mt. Everrett) aided the offense with ten points, three caroms, two steals and two assists.
Springfield shot 54.8-percent (34-62) from the field, while the Lyons hit 33.9-percent (19-56) of their shots, including 8-for-23 from beyond the arc. The Pride also held a 42-26 advantage in rebounds and a 40-12 margin in points in the paint.
Springfield jumped out to an early 12-0 lead over the opening four minutes and 25-seconds of play as Berthiaume had six points and Rote notched four points to highlight the run. Wheaton answered with a 14-8 run to trim its deficit to 20-14 with 9:47 remaining in the first half. Capstick compiled six points during that stretch, O'Loughlin and Battaglia added one 3-pointer apiece and sophomore forward Ryan Clinesmith (New York, N.Y./The Hill School) chipped in with a jump shot to cap the run.
The Lyons came within two possessions on two separate occasions throughout the remainder of the first half as Battaglia's layup at 7:33 made it 22-16 and a three-pointer from senior forward Brian Johnson (Roxbury, Mass./Brimmer and May School) at the 3:33 mark put Wheaton down, 25-19. The Pride closed out the first stanza on a 13-9 run and never looked back (38-28). Springfield outscored the Lyons, 54-23, in the second half shooting 59.4-percent (19-for-32) from the field. Berthiaume led the charge with 14 points.
Wheaton (6-8, 0-4 NEWMAC) travels to Babson College for a NEWMAC matchup on Saturday, January 19 at 4 p.m. Springfield (13-4, 4-0 NEWMAC), winners of its last four-straight contests, visits Clark University on Saturday at 1 p.m.
