Fogarty scores ten points, hands out five assists

MIDDLETOWN, Conn.  – Host Wesleyan University held off a late rally by the Wheaton College men's basketball team in the second half to claim a 77-66 victory in the Red & Black Holiday Tournament championship game on Saturday afternoon at Silloway Gym.

Lyons' junior guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./Taft School) registered 11 points, two rebounds and a pair of assists, while senior guard Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) scored a team-high 14 points alongside six rebounds and four assists to both secure spots on the All-Tournament team. Battaglia averaged 23 points in the tournament and Capstick averaged 12.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game over the weekend.

Senior guard Mike O'Loughlin (Milford, N.H./Milford) chipped in with 12 points and first-year guard Ryan Fogarty (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) added ten points, five assists, two rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes off the bench for the visitors.

Wesleyan received double-digit points from four out of its five starters with Rashid Epps (Harlem, N.Y./Hun School) and Joseph Kuo (New York, N.Y./Governor's Academy) tying for the game-high in points with 17 apiece. Epps also hauled in a game-high 14 rebounds for a double-double, while BJ Davis (Hamden, Conn./Hamden Hall CDS) and Jack Mackey (Warwick, N.Y./Vermont Academy) both tallied 14 points, respectively.

Trailing 39-37 at halftime, Wheaton eventually secured a 57-55 advantage – its first lead since the 18:13 mark of the opening stanza – behind the sharp shooting of O'Loughlin and Capstick. O'Loughlin led the spurt with a trio of 3-pointers and Capstick notched five points (including one 3-pointer) to fuel the run. Sophomore forward Zach Parsons (Belchertown, Mass./Belchertown) chipped in with four points and classmate Alex Sugarman (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) buried the go-ahead jump shot with 9:35 left to play in the contest.

Both teams exchanged points until Kuo's layup with 5:26 remaining in the game gave the Cardinals enough cushion room to hold on for the victory. Harry Rafferty (Dubuque, Iowa/Phillips Exeter) extended Wesleyan's lead to 67-61 (3:46) before Capstick made 1-of-2 free throws to bring the game back within five points at 67-62. Kuo went on to convert an old-fashioned three-point play and the Cardinals buried six-straight free throws to eventually claim the Red & Black Holiday Tournament title.

In the first half, Wheaton erased a 14-point deficit (25-11) deficit with 11:10 remaining in the opening stanza outscoring Wesleyan 26-14 to head into the locker room down by only two points, 39-37. The Lyons connected on five 3-pointers throughout the spurt receiving a pair of treys from Battaglia and one apiece by Capstick, junior center Timothy Berry (Sterling, Mass./St. Peter Marian) and Fogarty. Battaglia and Berry registered all seven of their first half points during the run, while Fogarty aided the offense with five points and Parsons and Sugarman added two points each to round out the scoring over the 8:50 span.

The Lyons shot 39.0-percent (23-for-59) from the floor, 37.9-percent (11-for-29) from beyond the arc and 60.0-percent (9-for-15) at the free throw line. Wesleyan went 50.0-percent (30-for-60) from the floor, 31.2-percent (5-for-16) from long distance and 54.5-percent (12-for-22) at the charity stripe. The Cardinals held a 39-32 advantage in rebounds, while the Blue and White compiled an 18-9 differential in bench points.

Wheaton (3-6) opens up conference play on Wednesday, January 7 against Coast Guard Academy on the road at 7 p.m. Wesleyan (10-2) hosts Colby College on Friday, January 9 at 7 p.m.

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