NORTON, Mass. – Former Xaverian Brothers High School teammates Marckenley Lima (Roslindale, Mass.) (19) and Ty Murphy (Dedham, Mass.) (15) combined to score 34 points and lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team to an 82-77 victory over visiting Springfield College this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletics Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the campus of Wheaton in Norton, Mass. The Lyons have won two of their last three and improve to 7-14 overall and 2-8 in league play, while the Pride fall to 5-14 and 3-7.

Wheaton knocked down a season-best 14 three-pointers on 27 attempts for a 51.9% clip. The home team out-rebounded its guests by a 38-29 count, including 13 offensive boards that led to an 11-2 second chance point margin, which spelled the difference in the game. Springfield still managed to shoot 50% (29-58) from the floor and was 9-10 from the free throw line.

Lima did all of his shooting from beyond the three-point arc for the Lyons, hitting five of his eight shots from long distance, while posting a perfect 4-4 effort from the free throw line. He added two rebounds and an assist. Murphy was extremely efficient, drilling 5-7 from three-point range to go with five rebounds, an assist and a steal in just 18 minutes off the bench. Junior guard Alex Carlisle (Saint Johnsbury, Vt.) netted 13 points, grabbed three rebounds and handed out three assists, while Wheaton classmate Evan Cook (Dunstable, Mass.) led all playmakers with seven assists in addition to 10 points and seven boards. First year forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points, nine rebounds and an assist.

First year forward Jacob Morales (Montvale, N.J.) led the Pride with 16 points and seven rebounds in addition to five assists and a steal, while sophomore guard Nick Bray (Hartford, Conn.) chipped in with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Senior guard Daryl Costa (Providence, R.I.) contributed with 11 points, three caroms, a steal and an assist for Springfield.

Bray drilled a three-pointer to cap a 10-2 run to reclaim the lead for the Pride at 68-66 with 6:03 to play in the second half. The Lyons showed their fight, ripping off seven straight points as part of a 12-2 stretch, fueled by a pair of trifectas from Lima, to give them their biggest lead of the day at 78-70 with 2:26 showing in the half. Springfield stayed in the game and received a driving lay-up from Bray to cut the deficit to 78-75 with 49 ticks left in the game, but it was as close as the visitors would get.

The Pride raced out to a 13-3 advantage just over five minutes into the opening half, including eight points from sophomore guard Zeke Blauner (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.) and later increased their lead to 16-5 at the 13:22 mark.

Wheaton pulled to within a possession, following an 11-3 burst that cut the margin to 19-16, and stayed within 21-18 with 7:34 to play in the half. Springfield responded by taking its biggest lead of the day when junior forward Panayiotis Kapanides (Bedford, Mass.) paced a 13-4 stretch with a pair of three-balls to give the Pride a 34-22 advantage with 4:18 showing on the second half clock. 

The Lyons roared back with eight unanswered points, including treys from Lima and Murphy, to cut the deficit to a manageable 38-34 at the intermission.

Bray canned a triple just 12 seconds into the second half to give Springfield a 41-34 cushion, but Wheaton chipped away with a 15-7 stretch, capped by Thaher's second three of the run to give the Lyons their first lead of the game at 49-48 with 15:38 on the second half clock. Wheaton expanded its lead to 58-52 with 12:08 remaining in the contest and maintained a 64-58 showing with just a tick over 10 minutes to play, before the Pride went on their run to take their final lead of the game.

The Lyons return to action on Wednesday, February 9 when they host NEWMAC foe Clark University at Emerson Gymnasium for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off, while Springfield entertains league opponent Babson College on the same night and time.