WORCESTER, Mass. — Junior guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) matched his career high with 29 points, but the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team fell to host No. 24 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 77-72, in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest this afternoon at Harrington Auditorium in Worcester, Mass.
The Lyons finish the regular season with a 15-10 record, including 8-8 in league play, while the Engineers, who are ranked in the most recent D3hoops.com national poll, improve to 21-4 and 14-2.
Wheaton will play again on Tuesday, February 24 in the opening round of the NEWMAC Championship Tournament as the number four seed, hosting fifth-seeded Springfield College at 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium. WPI receives a first round bye and will host a semifinal contest on February 26 at 7:00 p.m. as the tournament's top seed.
Wheaton shot 52% (26-50) for the game and owned a 33-27 rebounding margin but committed 15 turnovers, while the Engineers were guilty with just four miscues to fuel a 21-2 points off turnover advantage. WPI owned a 45.9% (28-61) field goal mark and was 13-16 (81.3%) from the free throw line.
Iafrate was 12-17 from the floor, including 3-6 from three-point range and grabbed four rebounds to go with an assist and a blocked shot for the Lyons. Senior forward Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) posted his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 boards in addition to handing out three assists and coming up with a steal. Senior guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) netted 11 points, pulled down two rebounds and doled out a pair of assists.
Graduate student guard Tim Reidy (Needham, Mass.) led five players in double-digit scoring for the Engineers with 14 points in addition to three rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists. Senior forward Matt Morvillo (Bedford, Mass.) was a perfect 5-5 from the floor and finished with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals, while junior forward Justin Molen (Newark, Del.) flirted with a triple-double with nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds to go with a pair of steals.
Morrissey buried a three-pointer to help erase a four-point deficit and pull Wheaton even at 62-62 with 5:37 to play in the game. Herry later made a layup to keep the Lyons within 71-70 with 55 ticks left in the game, but WPI scored six of the final eight points to come away with a 77-72 victory.
The teams were tied at 7-7 early in the first half, before Wheaton went on a 9-2 run, capped by a Morrissey three-ball to give the visitors a 16-9 advantage with 12:45 remaining in the first half. The Engineers answered with an 11-2 stretch with Reidy ultimately giving WPI its first lead of the afternoon with a layup to make it 20-18 with 7:47 showing on the first half clock.
The teams exchanged the lead before graduate student guard Nicholas Margetson (Baldwin, N.Y.) completed a three-point play with a free throw to give the home team a 28-24 margin with 5:04 to play in the half. The Lyons put together an 11-5 run, fueled by six points from Iafrate, to take a 35-33 lead with 63 seconds left on the clock. Morvillo and Iafrate traded triples before Wheaton took a 38-36 lead into the break.
Iafrate later knocked down a jumper at the 15:59 mark of the second half to give the Lyons their largest lead at 47-40 with 15:59 remaining in the game. The Engineers enjoyed a 17-6 stretch over the next seven-plus minutes, capped by a pair of Molen free throws to give WPI a 57-53 margin with 8:29 to go in the game.
