SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Junior forward Aaron Williams (Springfield, Mass.) came off the bench to net 25 points and grab 10 rebounds, while classmate Alex Carlisle (Saint Johnsbury, Vt.) scored 29 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team over Bowdoin College, 89-78, this afternoon in the first round of the WNE Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Western New England University in Springfield, Mass. The Lyons have won three of their last four and improve to 3-3 on the season, while the Polar Bears fall to 2-1.

Wheaton continued its hot shooting this season, recording a 57.9% (33-57) mark from the floor and was nearly automatic from the free throw line, making 21 of 23 attempts for a torrid 91.3% clip. The Lyons made a living in the paint, outscoring Bowdoin 48-20 down low.

Williams was 11-15 from the floor and added a steal in just 23 minutes of play for Wheaton, while Carlisle was 10-14 from the field and 9-10 from the line to go with five assists, two rebounds and a steal. First year forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) contributed with nine points, including a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line, and added six rebounds, two assists, three steals and a blocked shot off the bench.

Sophomore guard Michael Simonds (Falmouth, Maine) led the Polar Bears with 21 points, including five of the 12 three-pointers for BC, in addition to five rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocked shots, while first year guard Afamdi Achufusi (Washington, D.C.) chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds and an assist. First year guard James McGowan (Westwood, Mass.) came off the bench to score 10 points, grab four rebounds and hand out five assists.

Bowdoin took a 50-46 lead following a lay-up from junior forward Xander Werkman (Spokane, Wash.) with 14:25 to go in the second half, but the Lyons roared back with a 19-4 stretch, fueled by six points each from Carlisle and Thaher, to give them a 65-54 lead with 9:09 showing in the second stanza. The Polar Bears later cut the deficit to 73-69 after a Cole Hanin (Bethesda, Md.) jump shot with 4:07 to play, but it was as close as they would get as Wheaton led by as many as 14 down the stretch, before settling for the 11-point victory.

Bowdoin took an early 14-12 lead after junior guard Manay Randhawa (Ajax, Ont.) canned a three-pointer at the 12:01 mark of the opening half. The Lyons put together a 12-2 stretch to open up a 24-16 advantage with 8:29 showing on the first half clock and later held a 27-19 margin after a Patrick Oed (The Woodlands, Texas) three-pointer with 7:12 remaining in the half. First year guard James McGowan (Westwood, Mass.) capped an 11-2 run by the Polar Bears to give them a 30-29 edge with 2:50 to go in the first session as one of four lead changes to close out the half. Wheaton sophomore guard Jaden Keliher (South Hampton, N.H.) knocked down a trifecta of his own for the final points of the half and a 36-35 Lyons' lead with 33 ticks left on the clock. 

Wheaton's one-point halftime lead was short-lived as the teams traded the advantage six times, including Bowdoin's four-point lead, before the Lyons final big run to put the game away. 

Wheaton returns to the hardwood tomorrow when it takes on tournament host WNEU in the 2:00 p.m. Championship game, while the Polar Bears play University of Maine-Presque Isle, a 95-52 victim of the Golden Bears, in the consolation tilt at 12:00 p.m.