Bayliss moves to third all-time on career assists list (293)

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS / POSTGAME COMMENTS / SENIOR DAY CEREMONY

NORTON, Mass. – Wheaton College men's basketball senior point guard Will Bayliss (Manchester, N.H./Tilton School) could not have written his "Senior Day" script any better as the Lyons' lone senior closed out the Blue and White's 79-73 victory over Emerson College knocking down two free throws with four seconds remaining in the game and also moved to third all-time on the career assists list on Saturday afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium.

Prior to the game, Bayliss was honored for his contributions over his four-year career towards the men's basketball program with a ceremony at half court. Bayliss went on to finish today's contest with eight points, a game-high eight assists and one steal. Bayliss also surpassed Brian Zukowski '07 for third all-time on the career assists list as he needed six helpers to match Zukowski's career mark of 291 assists. After Bayliss converted both free throws with four seconds to play, the near capacity crowd inside Emerson Gymnasium gave Bayliss a fitting standing ovation to cap off his stellar career in which he played in 83 games (81 starts), averaged 7.1 points per game (590 total) and compiled 293 assists, 205 rebounds, 70 steals and a .400 field goal percentage.

Wheaton sophomore guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./Taft School) led all scorers with a career-high 30 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field, 4-of-5 from long range and 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Battaglia's 30-point effort marks the first time a Wheaton men's basketball student-athlete has recorded 30 or more points since Anthony Coppola's '11 (Watertown, Mass./Watertown) 41-point game against MIT on February 16, 2011.

Freshman Agyei Gregory (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands/St. Andrews) collected 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while junior forward Mike Cannon (New York, N.Y./Hyde School) added nine points, eight rebounds including three on the offensive glass and two blocks. Freshman forward Quinton Dale (Winthrop, Mass./Taft School) chipped in with three points, 11 rebounds, three rejections and two steals.

Emerson senior guard Jon Goldberg (Stowe, Vt./Rice Memorial) posted his eighth double-double with 11 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Sophomore guard Michael Thorpe (Newton, Mass./Newtown North) registered 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and a 9-for-10 showing from the free throw line to go along with five assists, four rebounds, two assists and a steal. Junior guard Eli Kell-Abrams (Berkeley, Calif./Westtown School) had 19 points and three steals and sophomore forward Brian Hurley (South Boston, Mass./Thayer Academy) just missed out on a double-double with nine points, 11 boards, three assists, two swipes and a block.

Trailing by 13 points (65-52) with 5:31 remaining in the contest, Emerson fought its way back into the mix using a 14-5 run to come within one point (67-66) after Kell-Abrams buried a three-pointer at the 2:43 mark. Kell-Abrams fueled the spurt with five points, Goldberg had four, junior guard Dan Boylan (Royal Oak, Mich./Shrine) canned a three-pointer at 4:13 and Hurley swished a jumper at 3:43.

Gregory pushed the Lyons' lead back to two points (68-66) making 1-of-2 free throw attempts and Battaglia followed with a quick steal at mid-court, a fast break layup and two free throws after a flagrant foul sent him to the line to sway momentum completely in favor of Wheaton.

Goldberg answered with a trey with 36-seconds remaining on the clock before both teams exchanged a pair of free throws for a 74-71 score. Battaglia went 3-for-4 at the line down the stretch as Emerson played for the foul and possession to keep the clock stopped to give Wheaton an eventual 77-73 advantage. After a steal by Gregory, Bayliss was fouled with four seconds to play giving the senior captain a chance to clinch the victory in his final collegiate game.

Wheaton held a 27-19 differential in points off turnovers, a 40-10 margin in bench points and assisted on 15 of its 23 made field goals. Emerson won the rebounding matchup, 42-38, and claimed a 30-26 advantage in the paint.

The Lyons' 2013-14 season comes to a close with a 9-14 overall record and 4-10 mark in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC). Emerson (13-12, 6-8 NEWMAC) will enter the conference tournament next week as the No. 5 seed and will play the No. 4 seed, which will be determined later today, on Wednesday, February 26 on the road at 7 p.m.

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