NORTON, Mass. – Despite having three players finish in double-figures in scoring, the Wheaton College men's basketball team could not overcome the visiting Pride of Springfield, falling 82-76 in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference contest in Emerson Gymnasium. 

The loss drops the Lyons to 8-12 on the season and 2-8 in the NEWMAC. The Pride improve to 9-12 overall and 5-5 in conference action. 

Senior Billy Battaglia led the Lyons with a team-high 17 points on a 7-17 performance from the floor. Quinton Dale knocked down 15 points in the loss, while pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Liam Bruno also finished in double-figures, scoring 13 points on 4-8 shooting from the floor and a perfect 4-4 performance from the free-throw line.   

Josh Altman led the Pride with a game-high 29 points after hitting 11-20 from the floor and finishing 4-4 from the charity stripe. Josh Downes chipped in 22 points in the win with 14 points coming from the free-throw line. Larry Piretra concluded the game with a game-high nine rebounds for Springfield. 

The entirety of the contest was a competitive back and forth with the two sides trading possession of the lead 20 times, while knotting up the score on 14 occasions. 

Wheaton got on the board first with a Bruno layup, but quickly had the lead erased by four points from Downes and a three-pointer from Any McNulty. With the score tied at 21-21, the Lyons went on a 6-0 run to capture their largest lead of the game with 4:30 on the clock. The Pride fought their way back in, tying the contest for the fourth time right before the half, sending the two sides into the locker room with the score at 31-31. 

Springfield opened the second half with four unanswered points, taking a 35-31 lead with 18:37 left in the contest. Wheaton eliminated the four-point deficit over the next two minutes, tying the game at 39-39 on another Bruno layup. Neither team would manage more than a four point lead over the following 16 minutes of action. Trailing 70-68, back-to-back Downes free-throws sparked a 10-2 run by the Pride, earning Springfield their largest lead of the contest with 41 seconds remaining. The lead would hold despite Wheaton's efforts down the stretch.  

Wheaton returns to the court on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. for a match-up against Clark University at home. 

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