NORTON, Mass. – Junior guard Ty Murphy (Dedham, Mass.) and sophomore forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) each scored 16 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team over visiting Babson College, 58-54, this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons win their third straight and four of their last five to improve to 13-8 overall and 7-6 in league play. Wheaton is also now 9-1 at Emerson Gym this season. The Beavers fall to 11-12 and 7-7.

Wheaton struggled in the first half, shooting just 24.1% (7-29) from the floor and finished the game with a 34.5% (20-58) mark. Babson shot just 30.9% (21-68) for the game, including 27.5% (11-40) in the second stanza. The Beavers controlled the boards with a 48-40 rebound advantage and pulled down 14 offensive boards, but were unable to create a sizable difference in second chance opportunities.

Murphy was 7-9 from the free throw line after getting fouled on a trio of three-point attempts for the Lyons, while adding a career-high seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Morrissey notched a career-high in points after going 7-10 from the field, including a make on his only three-point attempt of the night. He added nine rebounds. Junior forward Duncan Bubar (Newton, Mass.)  chipped in with eight points, five rebounds, two blocks and an assist.

Graduate student guard Steph Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) led all scorers with 18 points for Babson in addition to two rebounds, a pair of steals and two assists, while sophomore guard Timmy O'Toole (Milton, Mass.) posted a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds and was 5-10 from the floor. 

O'Toole made a turnaround jumper in the lane after an offensive rebound to give the Beavers a 32-27 lead with 16:02 left in the second half. Sophomore guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) drilled a three-ball later in the half to give Wheaton its first lead of the game at 35-32 with 12:33 showing on the second half clock. The Lyons were in the midst of scoring 10 straight points during a 19-5 stretch, paced by five points apiece from Pedevillano and senior guard Jaden Kelliher (Amesbury, Mass.), to give the home team its largest lead of the game at 46-37 with 7:43 remaining in the contest.

Babson regrouped and put together a 12-4 run on four trifectas, including two from Baxter, to pull the visitors within 50-49 with 5:42 to play in the second half. Wheaton received back-to-back triples from sophomore guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) and Morrissey to create some breathing room at 56-49 with 3:21 to go in the game.

Baxter scored the game's next five points, including a big three-pointer,  to cut the deficit to 56-54 for the Beavers with 44 seconds left in the ballgame. Morrissey converted a layup on the Lyons' next possession with 13 ticks to go in the half to keep it a two-possession game and give Wheaton an eventual four point win at 58-54.

Babson scored the first seven points of the game through the first three and a half minutes. The Lyons scored six of the next eight points, including four from Bubar, to cut the margin to 9-6 with 13:38 to play in the opening half. The Beavers rolled another seven, while holding Wheaton scoreless to extend their lead to 16-6 at the 9:28 mark. 

Sophomore forward Tyler Lauder (Malvern, Pa.) converted a pair of free throws to maintain Babson's largest lead at 18-8 with 8:30 showing in the first half, before the Lyons roared back with 10 unanswered points, including eight from Murphy, to knot the game at 18-18 with 4:31 to go in the half. 

The Beavers scored eight of the final 10 points of the half to take a 26-20 advantage into the intermission.

Wheaton opened the second session with a 6-2 run to pull within 28-26 after a Bubar layup with 17:55 showing on the second half clock. Babson increased its lead to five with just under four minutes gone in the half.

Both teams return to play on Saturday, February 10 with the Lyons traveling to New London, Conn. to take on conference foe United States Coast Guard Academy at 1:00 p.m. and the Beavers hosting Salve Regina University at 3:00 p.m.