Duo combines for 30 points in second half

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

NORTON, Mass. – Wheaton College junior guard Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, Conn./Taft School) and senior guard Mike O'Loughlin (Milford, N.H./Milford) combined for 30 points in the second half to lead the Lyons to an 80-68 come-from-behind victory over Coast Guard Academy in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon inside Emerson Gymnasium.

In the second half alone, Battaglia poured in 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field (4-6 3PT, 3-5 FT) to go along with four rebounds and two assists, while O'Loughlin compiled 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals to guide Wheaton to the triumph. Battaglia finished the contest with 26 points and O'Loughlin posted 19 points and seven rebounds.

Senior guard Eddie Capstick (Worcester, Mass./Marianapolis Prep) also contributed eight points, a career-high eight assists, three rebounds, three steals and zero turnovers. First-year guard Ryan Fogarty (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) added 13 points and two rebounds, while sophomore center Alex Sugarman (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) had five points, six rebounds and three assists.

Coast Guard junior guard Kevin Alvarez (Key Biscayne, Fla./FIU) led the Bears with 13 points seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. Senior forward David Anderson (Goose Creek, S.C./Marion Military Institute) notched 11 points and seven rebounds, while first-year guard Micah Baldez (Lower Gywnedd, Pa./Phil-Mont Christian Academy) and junior forward Mark Krebs (Ballwin, Mo./Parkway West) both finished with a career-high 11 points.

Trailing 48-45 with 9:47 remaining in the matchup, Battaglia helped spark a 16-3 run for the Lyons collecting 13 points during the spurt, which was highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers, to push Wheaton in front, 61-51, with 7:00 minutes to play.

Coast Guard countered with a three-pointer from Alvarez on its next possession (61-54), but Wheaton first-year guard Liam Bruno (Newton, Mass./Newton North) slipped past a pair of defenders after setting a high screen and finished an uncontested layup off a feed from Capstick to bump the advantage back to a three-possession game (63-54).

After the Bears went 1-for-2 at the line, O'Loughlin took over and ended any threat of comeback with a slick layup at the 5:24 mark (65-55) and a three-ball at 4:40 to give the Lyons their largest lead of the afternoon at 68-55.

The first half featured 11 lead changes before Coast Guard took a slim, 28-27, advantage into the break. During that stanza, the Bears shot 37.5-percent (9-for-24) from the floor, 50.0-percent (3-for-6) from beyond the arc and 77.8-percent (7-for-9) at the free throw line. The visitors also held a 20-19 differential on the boards and assisted on 7-out-of-9 of their made baskets.

Wheaton (4-14, 1-7 NEWMAC) hosts Babson College for a NEWMAC clash on Wednesday, February 4 at 8 p.m. Coast Guard (5-14, 1-7 NEWMAC) welcomes Clark University to its campus next Wednesday in a NEWMAC contest scheduled to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.

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