NORTON, Mass. - The Wheaton College men's basketball team overcame a 14-point second half deficit to defeat Clark University 88-83 in overtime on Wednesday night in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest in Emerson Gymnasium. 

The win moves the Lyons to 9-12 on the season and 3-8 in conference play, while keeping the teams playoff chances alive. The Cougars fall to 6-16 overall and 3-8 in the NEWMAC. 

Billy Battaglia led all players with 32 points on an 11-20 performance from the floor and 8-10 mark from the free-throw line. Ryan Fogarty came off the bench to score 26 points for the Lyons, while David Carbonello netted 14 in the win. Quinton Dale ended the contest with a game-high 15 rebounds and five blocks for Wheaton. 

Tyler Huffman led the Cougars with a team-high 29 points after hitting 8-19 from the floor and 7-8 from the charity stripe. Joe Atkinson netted 15 points for Clark, while Lamar Berk scored 13 and David Mercier chipped in 10. 

Battaglia opened the game with a layup, only to be answered by a three-pointer from Huffman, who sparked a 16-4 run by the Cougars. Wheaton remained patient and clawed its way back into the contest over the next nine minutes of action, recapturing the lead on another Battaglia layup with 5:00 on the clock. 

The two sides traded baskets over the remaining time, tying the contest at 38-38 with five seconds left until intermission. Huffman made sure to send the Cougars into halftime with the lead however, hitting back-to-back free-throws with two seconds to go, making it a 40-38 contest. 

Clark came out on fire in the second half, charging ahead to a 67-53 lead with 8:49 to play. Wheaton used solid fast break shooting and strong rebounding to once again find a way back into the game. Points from Battaglia, Fogarty, Carbonello and Timothy Berry eliminated the deficit, making it a 70-70 game with 2:28 left in regulation. Fogarty earned the lead back for Wheaton with a three-pointer at the 1:45 mark, but was matched by a three-pointer from Huffman with just second's left. 

The opening three minutes of overtime was a back and forth with neither team having a clear advantage. Two made free-throws by Fogarty with 1:13 on the clock earned the lead back for Wheaton and this time it stuck. 

Wheaton returns to the court on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. for a match-up against MIT at home. 

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