NORTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team was unable to hold back visiting Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in an 82-74 loss this evening at Emerson Gymnasium on the second day of the Wheaton Invitational in Norton, Mass.
The Monks improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Lyons dip to 1-1.
Saint Joseph's shot an impressive 59.6% (31-52) from the floor for the game and also sank 14-18 from the free throw line. The Monks were unconscious in the second half, hitting a blistering 66.7% (18-27) of their field goal attempts to help them erase an 11-point deficit. Wheaton shot 40.9% (27-66) on the night, but committed just 11 turnovers. The Lyons were two misses short of being perfect at the line with a 13-15 success rate.
Junior guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) netted 23 points to lead Wheaton in addition to two assists, a steal and a rebound and sophomore guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) scored 16 points, handed out six assists, grabbed a pair of rebounds and came up with a steal. Junior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) chipped in with 13 points, four boards, three assists and a blocked shot.
Sophomore forward Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) poured in a game-high 27 points to lead Saint Joseph's and was 11-14 from the field to go with six boards, a steal, an assist and a blocked shot. Junior guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) added to the Monk's firepower with 20 points, three assists, a block and a rebound, while first year Silvano Ismail (Portland, Maine) added 16 points on an efficient 6-8 from the floor and added seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists. Junior guard Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) contributed with 10 points, four rebounds, two blocks and an assist.
Saint Joseph's faced a 62-53 deficit with 8:40 to play in the game, before going on a 14-2 run, including nine straight points, to take a 67-64 lead with 5:26 remaining in the second half. Junior guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) knocked down a trey and later sank one of two free throws to reclaim the lead for the home team at 70-69 with 3:39 showing on the second half clock.
It was Wheaton's last lead of the night as the Monks closed out the game with a 13-4 stretch that saw them hit four of five shots to come away with an eight-point victory.
Senior guard Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) gave Saint Joseph's an early 7-6 edge with a three-ball at the 16:18 mark of the opening half. The Lyons put together a 13-4 stretch, including five points from Morrissey, to take a 19-11 advantage with 12:25 to go in the half. Iafrate later converted a driving layup on a fast break to give Wheaton its largest lead of the game at 25-13 with 9:03 left in the opening stanza.
The Monks ripped off seven straight points, including four from Donato, to cut the margin to 25-20 at the 5:48 mark of the half. The visitors stayed within 32-27 with 2:10 showing on the clock, following a dunk from Frazier. The Lyons shook off the offensive outburst and increased their advantage to 37-29 with 52 seconds to play in the half, before Ismail sank a pair of free throws to make it a six-point game heading into the break.
Wheaton slowly added to its lead and eventually owned a 56-45 cushion with 11:53 showing after a pair of free throws from Iafrate in the second half. The Lyons maintained a 62-53 advantage, before Saint Joseph's pivotal run put it in position to challenge for the victory.
The Monks return to the court on Friday, November 15 when they travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute at 5:30 p.m., while Wheaton heads to Newton, Mass. on November 13 for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off with Lasell University.
