NORTON, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team came within a possession of erasing a 13-point second half deficit, but ultimately fell short in a 60-55 defeat to visiting Massachusetts Insitute of Technology this afternoon in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in NEWMAC play, while the Engineers improve to 5-8 and 1-3.
MIT overcame a sluggish first half to shoot 45.8% (11-24) in the second half, including 4-8 from three-point range, and was 20-54 (37%) for the game. Wheaton shot just 25% (7-28) in the second half as part of a 32.1% (17-53) effort for the game and was held to 22.2% (6-27) from long range. The Engineers owned a 39-34 rebounding advantage.
Senior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) scored 18 points, grabbed eight boards, came up with two steals, blocked a pair of shots and doled out an assist for the Lyons. Junior guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) netted 18 points on an efficient 6-8 shooting to go with three assists, three rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Sophomore guard Sean Perri (West Roxbury, Mass.) contributed with eight points and seven rebounds.
Junior guard Michael Zhang (Jacksonville, Fla.) matched his season high with 20 points to lead MIT and added four rebounds, three assists and a steal, while junior center Wyatt Mowery (Winston-Salem, N.C.) scored 11 points, pulled down eight rebounds, blocked a pair of shots, handed out an assist and came up with a steal. Senior forward Parker Spann (Omaha, Neb.) chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists.
The Engineers faced a 29-24 deficit at halftime, but scored the first seven points of the second half, including a three-ball from Zhang that gave them a 31-29 margin with 17:13 showing in the second half. Wheaton later pulled even when senior guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) converted one of two free throws to give each team 32 with 16:16 to go in the half.
MIT's defense clamped down over the next four minutes, while the offense reeled off 11 unanswered points, fueled by seven from Zhang, to give the visitors a 43-32 advantage with 12:41 to play in the game. Iafrate sank one of two free throws to give the Lyons just their fifth point of the opening nine minutes of the stanza and cut the deficit to 43-34 at the 11:09 mark of the half. The Engineers led by as many as 13 over the next eight minutes, while Wheaton could not get closer than within nine during the span.
Junior guard Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.) later drained a three-pointer with 3:26 left in the half to give MIT a 58-46 cushion. Wheaton threatened a comeback, scoring nine straight points, including a pair of trifectas from Morrissey and a triple from Pedevillano that pulled the Lyons within a possession at 58-55 with 92 seconds to go in the contest. They were the last points of the afternoon for Wheaton and the Engineers hung on for the victory.
The Engineers took an early 7-3 lead following a pair of free throws from junior forward Mike Ewing (Morris Plains, N.J.) with 16:21 remaining in the opening half. Iafrate and Morrissey scored back-to-back layups to level the game at 7-7 for the Lyons just a minute later. Junior center Merlin Gogolin (New York, N.Y.) reclaimed the lead for MIT with a put back at the 10:48 mark of the first half, before Morrissey and Iafrate converted consecutive layups again to put the home team ahead at 16-13 with 10:11 showing on the first half clock.
The Engineers scored six of the next eight points, including a trey from Mowery to give them a 19-18 edge with 8:38 to play in the half. Wheaton put together an 8-2 burst capped by a layup from first year guard Wyatt Benoit (Saco, Maine) to give the Lyons their largest lead at 26-21 with 3:45 left in the half. Iafrate scored the final point of the session with a free throw to give Wheaton a five-point halftime margin.
The Lyons return to action when they head to Babson Park, Mass. on January 15 for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off with league rival Babson College, while MIT returns to the court on January 13 when it hosts Emerson College in NEWMAC play at 6:30 p.m.
