BOSTON, Mass. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team was upended 74-57 by host Wentworth Institute of Technology this evening at Tansey Gymnasium in Boston, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 1-3 on the season, while the Leopards improve to 1-1.
Wheaton shot just 30.2% (19-63) for the game, including 5-31 (16.1%) from three-point range and suffered at the free throw line, making just 14 of 26 attempts for a 53.8% clip. Wentworth shot 44% (22-50) and took advantage of its free trips to the line, converting 24 of 28 shots for an 85.7% success rate.
Junior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) led the Lyons with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds to go with four assists and a steal, while classmate Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) dropped in 14 points and added a rebound and an assist.
Senior guard Jack Connell (Walpole, Mass.) led all scorers with 22 points, including 9-10 from the line for the Leopards. He also added five rebounds, four assists and a steal and junior guard Russell Dolabany (Westwood, Mass.) scored 14 points on 4-5 from the floor in addition to five rebounds and an assist. Sophomore guard Jayden Williams (Dorchester, Mass.) chipped in with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.
Wheaton scored the first point of the game, but it was its only lead of the night. Senior forward Duncan Bubar (Newton, Mass.) kept the Lyons within three after a layup to make it 6-3 with 14:43 showing on the clock. Wentworth methodically expanded its cushion to 20-10 with 8:07 left in the opening half and later took its largest lead of the half after senior guard Niko Rosich (Chicago, Ill.) drained a jumper to give the home team a 30-17 lead with 1:48 to play in the half. Wheaton closed to within 33-23 before the break.
The Lyons came alive after the intermission with a 9-2 blitz capped by a layup from senior forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) to pull Wheaton within 35-32 with 17:09 left in the second stanza. First year forward Rex Zadrozny (Cumberland, R.I.) kept the deficit at three for the Lyons with a layup to make it 37-34 with 15:34 showing on the second half clock.
The Leopards ripped off the next 13 points to take a 50-34 advantage following a layup from Connell at the 11:41 mark. Wheaton never drew closer than double-digits over the next six minutes of play, before a layup from first year forward Aiden Flaherty (East Bridgewater, Mass.) gave the home team a 62-44 advantage with 5:26 to play.
Wheaton's last gasp came in the form of a 9-0 surge, including four points from Morrissey, to cut the deficit to 62-53 with 2:51 remaining in the contest. Wentworth closed the affair with a 12-4 run, including six points from Dolabany.
The Lyons return to the hardwood on Tuesday, November 19 when they travel to nearby Bridgewater, Mass. to take on Bridgewater State University for a 7:00 p.m. tip, while the Leopards host Lasell University on the same night at 6:00 p.m.
