SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team fell at Springfield College, 69-57, this afternoon in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Blake Arena in Springfield, Mass.
The Lyons slip to 10-10 overall and 5-6 in NEWMAC action, while the Pride improve to 8-11 and 5-5.
Wheaton was held to just 17.6% (3-17) from three-point range as part of a 36.2% (21-58) shooting effort for the game. Springfield shot 40.3% (25-62) from the field, but just 26.7% (4-15) from long range. The Pride owned a 16-7 margin in points off turnovers and held a 42-38 rebounding advantage.
The Lyons were led by sophomore guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) with a game-high 16 points on 6-11 from the field and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. He also added four rebounds, three assists and a steal, while junior guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) scored 10 points, grabbed four boards and handed out four assists. Junior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) contributed with seven points and eight rebounds.
Graduate student guard Jarron Flynn (Roslindale, Mass.) led Springfield with 15 points on 7-12 shooting and added three rebounds. Sophomore guard Xoren Livingston (Wayland, Mass.) chipped in with nine points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal and senior center Curtiss Blische (Barkhamsted, Conn.) ripped down a game-high 13 rebounds in addition to scoring seven points, dishing for an assist and coming up with a steal.
The Pride scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed in the contest. Springfield built a 16-5 advantage with 12:13 left in the opening half, fueled by five points from Livingston. The home team later maintained a 23-11 margin after Flynn canned a three-ball at the 6:31 mark of the first half.
Wheaton put together a 13-4 run, paced by six points from Iafrate, to cut the deficit to 27-24 with 2:10 showing on the first half clock. First year guard Cedric Rodriguez (Burlington, Mass.) converted a layup for the final points of the half to send the Pride into the locker room with a 29-24 halftime lead.
Springfield scored the first four points of the second stanza, including a jumper from Rodriguez to give the home team a 33-24 cushion with 17:45 remaining in the contest. The Lyons countered with the next six points to pull within 33-30 with 15:50 to go in the half.
The Pride out-scored their guests, 13-3, over the next five-plus minutes to increase their advantage to 46-33 with 10:09 showing on the second half clock. Springfield maintained a 52-42 lead after a dunk from senior center Josh Hartley (Brooklyn, N.Y.) at the 4:45 mark. Wheaton clawed back with five of the next seven points, to erode the margin to 54-49 with 3:43 left in the game, but it was as close as it would get for the remainder of the afternoon.
The Lyons return to action on Saturday, February 8 when they host NEWMAC rival Salve Regina University for a 1:00 p.m. tip-off at Emerson Gymnasium, while the Pride head to Newport, R.I. on February 5 to play Salve Regina at 7:30 p.m.
