NEWTON, Mass. -- The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team was defeated by host Lasell University, 76-59, this evening at the Lasell Athletic Center in Newton, Mass.

The Lyons dip to 1-2 on the season, while the Lasers improve to 2-0.

Lasell owned a 43.9% (29-66) shooting percentage and turned the ball over just 10 times, while Wheaton shot 35.7% (26-56) from the floor and committed 20 miscues. The Lasers also held a 43-35 rebounding advantage.

The Lyons were led by junior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) with 15 points, nine rebounds and an assist, while classmate Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) netted 13 points, handed out two assists, grabbed a pair of rebonds and came up with a steal. Sophomore guard Markus Nordin (Wenham, Mass.) chipped in with nine points, four rebounds, two assists and a game-high five steals.

Junior forward Quinton Partee (Atlanta, Ga.) led all scorers with 19 points on 8-14 shooting to go with three rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench for Lasell. Sophomore guard Andy Madesko (Atlanta, Ga.) flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in addition to five steals, while senior guard Marcus Lewis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) posted a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and added two steals, a block and an assist. First year guard Esmer Madesko (Atlanta, Ga.) contributed with 12 points on 5-8 from the field and grabbed two rebounds, dished out an assist and made two steals.

Wheaton took a 10-4 lead with 15:30 to go in the opening half, including the first six points of the game on a pair of trifectas from Nordin. 

The Lasers put together a 15-2 stretch, paced by five points from Partee, to give the home team the lead for good at 19-12 with 8:28 showing in the first half. 

Morrissey converted a layup to keep the deficit at seven (29-22) for the Lyons, but Lasell scored seven of the next eight points, capped by a jumper from Partee, to take a 36-23 advantage with 49 seconds left in the period. Morrissey drained a three-ball for Wheaton to pull it within 36-26 prior to the intermission.

The Lasers wasted no time applying pressure to their guests, opening the second stanza with an 8-2 run, including five points from Lewis, to inflate their cushion to 44-28 with 17:36 remaining in the contest. 

Herry scored the game's next six points to cut the margin to 44-34 for the Lyons with 16:51 left in the game, but it was as close as they would get for the rest of the night. 

Lasell's knockout punch came with a 20-7 blitz, fueled by 12 points from Partee, to give the Lasers a comfortable 64-41 lead with 7:08 to play. Wheaton never got closer than within 15 for the rest of the way.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, November 16 when they travel to Boston, Mass. to take on Wentworth Institute of Technology for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off, while Lasell heads to Wenham, Mass. on the same day to play Gordon College at 6:00 p.m.