Lyons tie single-game record in steals with 22

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS | 25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY HALFTIME CEREMONY

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College men's basketball team turned in a 65-57 victory over Maine Maritime in the opening round of the 15th Wheaton College Tip-Off Tournament on Friday night at Emerson Gymnasium.

At halftime of the contest, the men's basketball program held a ceremony to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the program. Several members of the program from throughout the years were recognized for their contributions towards their respective teams.

Wheaton freshman guard Agyei Gregory (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands/St. Andrews) led the Lyons in scoring with 12 points on 3-for-6 shooting from the field, including a 5-for-6 showing at the line. Senior captain Will Bayliss (Manchester, N.H./Tilton School) added ten points (8-for-8 from the line), four rebounds, four assists and three steals in his return to the lineup after missing half of last season due to injury. Sophomore guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./Taft School) tallied ten points and three boards, while freshman Alex Sugarman (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) contributed nine points, pulled down seven caroms and had two steals.

Maine Maritime freshman Kyle Boucher (Wayne, Maine/Maranacook) paced all scorers with 17 points (6-for-8), seven rebounds and two blocks. Classmate Garrett Libby (Stillwater, Maine/Old Town) pitched in with nine points, one rebound, one assist and one steal. The Mariners shot 46.0-percent (23-for-50) from the field, 30.8-percente (4-for-13) from beyond the arc and 70.0-percent (7-for-10) at the free throw line.

The Lyons capitalized on points off of turnovers outscoring their opposition 38-7 in the category including a 21-0 differential in the opening stanza. Wheaton tallied 22 steals total in the contest to tie the single-game record set on January 14, 1998 against Endicott. Despite receiving a 15-point margin in bench points (36-21), Wheaton only committed 18 turnovers utilizing an 11-man rotation. Maine Maritime had 34 turnovers total in the contest, 18 alone in the first half.

Wheaton led by as many as 13 points in the opening 20-minutes of action at the 7:14 mark (26-13) highlighted by Battaglia's eight-point effort during the run. The Lyons had eight student-athletes factor into the offensive spurt.

The Mariners responded with a 21-9 run of their own in the waning minutes of the stanza as Boucher compiled eight points and sophomore guard Zachary Radcliffe (Rumford, Maine/Mountain Valley) registered seven points. Maine Maritime connected on a trio of three-point plays and two old-fashioned three-point plays to quickly make it a 35-34 deficit at the break.

Wheaton bounced back in the second half outscoring Maine Maritime 30-23 to secure its third-straight season opening victory. Gregory posted nine points in the stanza, while Bayliss, Sugarman and freshman forward Quinton Dale (Winthrop, Mass./Taft School) recorded four points apiece.

The Lyons will play Endicott College in the championship round of the 15th Wheaton College Tip-Off Tournament tomorrow at 3 p.m. The Gulls defeated Fisher College 89-78 in the opening round of the tournament. The Falcons and Mariners will play in the consolation round tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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