BRISTOL, R.I. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team was overcome by Roger Williams University in a big second half that saw the home team come away with a 96-69 victory in a rare weekday afternoon match-up at the Campus Recreation Center in Bristol, R.I.
The Lyons dip to 4-4 on the season, while the Hawks improve to 4-1.
Roger Williams shot 54.9% (39-71) from the floor, including 60% (21-35) to fuel its second-half attack. The Hawks also hit 44.4% (8-18) of its three-balls and committed just eight turnovers, while taking advantage of 22 miscues from Wheaton that led to a 23-7 disparity in points off turnovers. Roger Williams' up-tempo offense translated into to a 22-4 margin in fast break points.
Sophomore guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) led the Lyons with 14 points on 6-11 shooting and added four assists, four rebounds and a steal, while first year forward Rex Zadrozny (Cumberland, R.I.) netted a career-high 14 points on 6-9 from the field and grabbed five boards to go with a steal. Junior guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) contributed with 13 points, a career and game-high six assists, a steal and a rebound.
Junior guard Ty Higgins (New Marlborough, Mass.) led all scorers with 25 points on 9-15 from the field and was also 6-12 from three-point range in addition to two rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal for the Hawks. Graduate student guard Mac Annus (Belmont, Mass.) dropped in 17 points, pulled down four rebounds, handed out four assists and collected a pair of steals. Graduate student forward Nate Lopes (Scituate, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, five assists, two rebounds, two steals and a pair of blocks.
Junior guard Phillip Sughrue (Winchester, Mass.) canned a three-pointer to give Roger Williams an early 15-10 margin with 14:09 to play in the opening half. Wheaton scored the next five points, including a trifecta from junior guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.), to pull the Lyons even at 15-15 with 13:20 showing.
Iafrate gave Wheaton the lead (19-17) with a layup at 10:08, but a 12-4 stretch for the home team gave the Hawks a 29-23 advantage with 7:47 to go in the session. Wheaton chipped away and knotted the game again following a pair of Pedevillano free throws to make it 41-41 with 38 ticks left in the half. Annus converted a layup right before the half to give Roger Williams a two-point halftime margin.
In retrospect, the Lyons did well to hold the home Hawks to just 43 points before they outscored their guests, 53-28, in the second stanza.
Senior forward Duncan Bubar (Newton, Mass.) made a layup to keep Wheaton within 47-45 at the 18:06 mark of the second half, but it was as close as the Lyons would get for the rest of the contest. Roger Williams put together a 14-5 stretch to give it a comfortable 61-50 lead with 13:27 left in the game.
Zadrozny kept Wheaton within 10 at 10:53 with a free throw, but the Hawks reeled off the next eight points to increase their cushion to 72-54 with 8:22 to play.
The Lyons' last gasp of six straight points, capped by a Bubar layup, cut the margin to 72-60 with 7:12 showing on the second half clock, but Roger Williams dictated the final seven minutes with a 24-7 stretch. Higgins fueled the final outburst with eight points to give the Hawks a 96-67 advantage for their largest lead of the game. Wheaton's only saving grace was its ability to hold Roger Williams under 100 points at home for the first time by any opponent this season.
The Lyons return to action when they open the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference slate with a home date against Clark University on Wednesday, December 4 at 7:00 p.m., while Roger Williams heads to New London, Conn. to play Connecticut College at 2:00 p.m.
