NORTON, Mass. – Sophomore guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) poured in a game-high 20 points to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team over visiting Emerson College, 72-53, this afternoon in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons win their third straight game to improve to 8-7 overall, including 3-3 in NEWMAC action, while the Lions dip to 7-8 and 2-4.
Wheaton shot 44.3% (27-61) for the game, while holding Emerson to just 32.8% (19-58) to mark the third game in a row that the Lyons have held an opponent under 40% shooting. The Lions owned a 37-36 rebounding edge and Wheaton committed only seven turnovers for the day.
Iafrate was 7-13 from the field and added eight rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot for the Lyons, while junior guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) netted 13 points, grabbed five rebounds, handed our four assists, came up with a pair of steals and blocked a shot. Senior forward Khaled Thaher (Amman, Jordan) contributed with nine points, four rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal.
Sophomore guard Guillermo Gasset Ruiz (Malaga, Spain) led Emerson with a team-high nine points in addition to four rebounds and junior center Linus Helmhold (Krefeld, Germany) chipped in with seven points, seven rebounds and an assist.
Wheaton led from start to finish and scored the first six points of the game, including four from Iafrate, to stake the home team with a six-point lead after the opening two minutes.
Herry later knocked down a jumper to maintain a 10-5 margin at the 14:56 mark of the opening half for the Lyons, before sophomore forward Caden Zurek (Gilbert, Ariz.) scored the next four points to pull the Lions within 10-9 with 13:18 left in the session. Graduate student guard Trevor Arico (Saline, Mich.) hit a jumper from outside the paint to keep the visitors within 20-18 at 8:56 of the first half, but Wheaton took control with a 12-3 outburst, sparked by five points from Thaher, to give the home team a 32-21 advantage with 2:11 remaining in the first half. Iafrate made a layup with six ticks left on the first half clock to give the Lyons a 36-25 cushion heading into the break.
Wheaton continued its momentum into the second half with a decisive 18-5 stretch, paced by a pair of three-balls from junior guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) and five more points from Thaher, to give the Lyons a comfortable 54-30 advantage with 13:23 to go in the second half.
Emerson fought back with 11 of the next 13 points, including five from Helmhold, to cut the deficit to 56-41 with 8:52 showing on the second half clock. Wheaton responded in kind with a 12-2 blitz to establish its largest lead of the afternoon at 68-43 with 4:31 remaining in the contest. The Lions would get no closer than within 19 for the rest of the way.
Both teams return to the hardwood on Tuesday, January 21 when the Lyons travel to New London, Conn. to take on United States Coast Guard Academy and Emerson heads to Springfield, Mass. to play Springfield College for a 7:00 tip-off for both clubs in league play.
