Capstick leads Lyons with 18 points

NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College men's basketball team fell to Bridgewater State University, 79-73, in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon inside Emerson Gymnasium.

Senior guard Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) paced the Wheaton offense with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting, four rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. First-year guard Ryan Fogarty (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) and junior guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./Taft School) both contributed 13 points, while senior forward Mike Cannon (New York, N.Y./Hyde School) had eight points and seven rebounds. Classmate Mike O'Loughlin (Milford, N.H./Milford) chipped in with seven points, four assists and two boards.

Bridgewater State senior center Michael Lofton (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) registered a double-double with 21 points and ten rebounds, both game-highs, to guide the Bears. Lofton's block at the 4:24 mark of the second half also tied Peter Santos' (2001-05) school record of 133 career total blocks.

Senior forward Kyle Gibson (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) filled the stat sheet with nine points, nine boards, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Junior swingman Tyler DeMelo (East Freetown, Mass./Apponequet) tallied 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting (4-of-7 from beyond the arc) alongside three rebounds, while sophomore guard/forward Fawaz Mass (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) had nine points and senior guard Justin Clark (Yarmouth Port, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth) notched eight points, four rebounds and two assists.

Trailing by six points (64-58) after a pair of made free throws by Mass at the 7:51 mark of the second half, the Lyons answered with an 11-4 run to take a 69-68 advantage with 3:35 remaining in the contest. Battaglia and Fogarty fueled the run as the duo combined for all 11 points during the spurt with Battaglia scoring the first 4 points and Fogarty registering the rest down the stretch.

Fogarty gave Wheaton its last final lead of the game to cap the run with a right-handed layup off the left block and a successful free throw after he was fouled for the one-point advantage.

Lofton responded for the Bears with a floater in traffic at 2:26 to reclaim a 70-69 margin on the scoreboard and DeMelo followed with a long jumper from the left wing at 1:46 after a missed layup by Wheaton to bump the lead up to 72-69. DeMelo's shot was originally ruled a three-pointer before the referees ruled that he stepped on the three-point line.

Capstick brought the Lyons back within one point at 72-71 as he fought past his defender for a right-handed layup off the left block with 1:26 left to play, but DeMelo drilled a three-pointer from the left wing after Bridgewater State called a timeout to help secure the eventual victory.

Clark and Gibson also went 4-for-4, combined, at the free throw line over the final moments of the game to aid the Bears to their second victory in the last three days.

Bridgewater State shot 38.5-percent (25-for-65) from the floor, 28.6-percent (6-for-21) from long range and 85.2-percent (23-for-27) at the free throw line. Wheaton shot 50.9-percent (27-for-53) from the field, 38.5-percent (5-for-13) from beyond the arc and 63.6-percent (14-for-22) at the charity stripe. The Bears outrebounded their opposition 46-26 – including a 17-3 margin on the offensive glass – and also held a 16-6 differential in second chance points. The Lyons outscored the visitors 44-26 in the paint.

Wheaton (2-5) returns to action on Friday, January 2 against Anna Maria College in the Red & Black Holiday Tournament at 7:30 p.m. Bridgewater State (4-3) opens up the NYU Holiday Classic versus Manhattanville on Friday, January 2 at 4 p.m.

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