SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Wheaton College men's basketball team hit the road Wednesday night for a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game at Springfield. The Pride earned an 86-60 win over the Lyons in Blake Arena.

The loss drops the Lyons to 7-6 overall and 1-2 in NEWMAC play. The Pride improve to 4-9 on the season and 1-2 in conference action. 

Wheaton was led by Billy Battaglia who scored a team-high 15 points. Quinton Dale knocked down 10 points and pulled down eight boards for the Lyons. 

Josh Altman led the Pride with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds, while teammate Josh Altman added 15 points and 10 boards. 

It took nearly four minutes for either team to get the scoring started with the game opening with 11 missed shots between the two sides. Dale hit back-to-back free-throws to earn Wheaton the first lead, but Springfield responded with a 10-2 run. Not to be outdone, the Lyons answered with an 11-4 burst to take a 15-14 lead on a layup by Drew Vittum. Wheaton extended its lead to 26-20 on a Battaglia layup with 4:43 on the clock. The lead was the Lyons largest of the contest. Altman kick started the Pride offense moments later helping his team go on an 18-6 surge to close out the half with a 38-32 advantage.

Springfield scored the first eight points of the second half to increase its lead to 46-32. Wheaton didn't back down however, pumping in seven-straight points. The Pride had an answer however, moving ahead with a 10-0 run to take control for good.

Wheaton returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 at home against Babson for a 3 p.m. NEWMAC tip-off. The Lyons are currently 6-1 on the season when playing in Emerson Gymnasium.