NORTON, Mass. — Sophomore forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) posted a double-double of 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds to help lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team to a 70-55 victory over visiting Lasell University this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons win their third straight game to improve to 4-2 on the season, while the Lasers fall to 3-3.
Wheaton led for most of the contest and shot 44.8% (26-58) from the floor, while holding Lasell to just 30.3% (20-66). The Lyons had the advantage on the boards with a 47-37 rebounding advantage, but they did commit 18 turnovers, leading to a 17-7 scoring advantage for the visitors in points off turnovers.
Morrissey was 5-8 from the floor, while sophomore guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) led Wheaton with 13 points on 4-7 shooting, including 2-4 from three-point range. He also added three rebounds, an assist and a steal to his night. Junior forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) contributed with 11 points on 5-8 from the field to go with five rebounds and a blocked shot in just 21 minutes and junior guard Ty Murphy (Dedham, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, two rebounds and a pair of assists.
Junior guard Marcus Lewis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) led all scorers with 16 points and added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals for Lasell. Junior guard Greg Farrow (Milwaukee, Wis.) netted nine points in addition to a pair of rebounds and a steal and junior forward Gabe Qua (Suffield, Conn.) pulled down eight boards to go with four points and a block.
Lewis hit a jumper from outside the paint to give the Lasers an early 4-2 lead with 15:23 to go in the opening half, but it marked the only time that the Lyons trailed in the game after they put together a 17-6 stretch, including five points from Pedevillano, to take a 19-10 advantage with 7:39 showing in the half. Lasell scored the next five points, capped by Lewis mid-range jumper, to cut the deficit to 19-15 with 5:57 left in the first session.
Wheaton countered with nine unanswered points, including five more from Pedevillano, to increase the home team's cushion to 28-15 with 2:50 to play in the half. The Lasers followed suit with seven straight points – all from Lewis – to close the half trailing their hosts, 28-22.
Farrow buried a three-pointer at the 18:36 mark of the second stanza to pull Lasell to within 29-27, but it was as close as the visitors would get for the rest of the night. First year guard Cameron Foster-Martez (Atlanta, Ga.) later converted a fast-break layup for the Lasers to make it a one-possession game at 36-33 with 15:49 showing in the first half, before the Lyons went on a 15-5 run, sparked by a pair of triples from senior guard Jaden Keliher (Amesbury, Mass.), to give Wheaton a comfortable 51-38 margin with 12:27 left to play in the game.
Farrow drilled another trifecta at 10:32 for the Lasers to get them under a 10-point deficit at 51-43, but the Lyons ripped off 12 of the next 13 points to take their largest lead of the evening at 63-44 with 5:30 remaining in the contest.
Lasell reeled off eight straight points, capped by a mid-range jumper on a fast break from first year guard Che Hanks (Chelsea, Mass.), to cut the margin to 63-52 with 2:29 left to play. Pedevillano sank a pair of free throws to bump Wheaton's lead up to 69-53 with 63 ticks left in the game, before coming away with a 15-point victory.
The Lyons returns to action on Saturday, December 2 when they host Bridgewater State University at Emerson Gymnasium for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off, while the Lasers host Plymouth State University on November 30 at 7:00 p.m.
