SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Junior forward Aaron Williams (Springfield, Mass.) registered his third double-double of the season with game-highs of 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team in a 77-71 loss to host Springfield College in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest this afternoon at Blake Arena in Springfield, Mass. The Lyons fall to 5-7 overall and 0-1 following their NEWMAC opener, while the Pride improve to 3-9 and 1-2.

Springfield committed just eight turnovers and shot 53.3% (32-60) for the game, while knocking down 10 three-pointers at a 37% clip. Wheaton was held to 39.4% (28-71) from the field, including 4-29 (13.8%) from three-point range.

Williams was 13-25 from the floor to go with a pair of blocks, an assist and a steal for the Lyons, while junior guard Evan Cook (Dunstable, Mass.) netted 16 points and added eight rebounds, four assists and four steals. First year guard Ty Murphy (Dedham, Mass.) dropped in 10 points, grabbed two boards, handed out a pair of assists and came up with a steal.

Nate Gryczka (Keene, N.H.) scored 14 points to lead the Pride and was one of five Springfield players to score double-digits. He was an efficient 5-6 from the floor, including 4-5 from three-point territory in addition to two rebounds and a steal in 12 minutes off the bench. Junior Panayiotis Kapanides (Bedford, Mass.) contributed with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists, while first year forward Jack Meagher (Sydney, Australia) chipped in with 13 points on 6-8 shooting in addition to six boards. Senior guard Daryl Costa (Providence, R.I.) led all players with seven assists and added 12 points and three rebounds. 

Wheaton did its best to come back from a 21-point deficit and pulled to within five points following a Williams lay-up with 14 seconds left in the game to make it 76-71, but the Lyons ran out of time to complete the comeback as the Pride hung on for the victory.

Gryczka drained a three-pointer at the 10:19 mark of the second stanza to give the Pride their largest lead at 70-49, before Wheaton started to chip away at the margin.

Meagher converted one of two free throws for Springfield to take a 75-63 advantage with 3:51 remaining in the game, before the Lyons scored eight of the next nine points, including six from Williams, to close to within 76-71.

Wheaton owned an early 7-3 lead with two and a half minutes gone in the opening half, but the Pride ripped off 15 unanswered points, to take an 18-7 lead with 12:15 showing in the first half. 

The Lyons answered with a stretch that saw them outscore their hosts, 11-4 over the next three minutes to cut the margin to 22-18 with just over nine minutes to play in the half. 

Springfield closed out the half with a 22-9 span, including the final seven points of the period to take a 43-27 lead into the break. 

The Pride led by at least 14 points for the first half of the second session before taking their biggest lead, before Wheaton whittled it away. 

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, January 15 in Babson Park, Mass when they tip off at 1:00 p.m. against NEWMAC foe Babson College, while Springfield heads just a bit further North to take on Massachusetts Institute of Technology on the same day at 2:00 p.m. in Cambridge, Mass.