MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – The number four seed Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team will travel to take on top-seeded Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the Semifinals of the New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference Championship Tournament on Friday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m. at Harrington Auditorium in Worcester, Mass.
Tickets to the game are $11 and must be purchased online here. Children under 12 and NEWMAC students with a valid institutional ID are free and do not need to purchase a mobile ticket.
The Lyons erased a 13-point deficit and came back to earn a 60-52 win over fifth-seeded Springfield College on February 25 to earn a spot in the semifinals with WPI. Wheaton is 16-10 on the season and was 8-8 in league play, while the Engineers are currently ranked No. 21 in the most recent D3hoops.com national poll and are 21-4, including a 14-2 mark in NEWMAC play.
WPI swept the season series, defeating Wheaton in Norton on January 22, 82-70, before closing out the regular season with a 77-72 win in Worcester. The teams were tied at halftime in the first game of the series, before the Engineers pulled away for a 12-point win in the second half. Junior forward Justin Molen (Newark, Del.) led WPI with 23 points on 10-15 shooting, while graduate student guard Tim Reidy (Needham, Mass.) scored 18 points. WPI boasted four players with 14 or more points. Both teams shot 50% or better in the game. The Lyons connected on 11 of 23 from three-point range and were led by seniors Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) and Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) with 17 points each. Junior guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) was held to nine points.
Wheaton pulled even with the Engineers at 62-62 with 5:37 to play in the regular-season finale and was within a point at 71-70 with 55 seconds left, before WPI scored six of the final eight points. The Lyons shot 52% (26-50) for the game, but committed 15 turnovers, while the Engineers were guilty of just four turnovers. WPI owned a 21-2 points off turnover disparity for the game. Iafrate was 12-17 for the game and matched his career-high with 29 points, while Morrissey posted a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. Reidy led five players in double-digits for WPI with 14 points and senior forward Matt Morvillo (Bedford, Mass.) Molen scored nine points, handed out eight assists and pulled down seven rebounds.
The Engineers lead the league in both scoring offense (76.8 ppg) and scoring defense (66.6 ppg.) and shot 45.3% for the season to rank fourth in the league, while holding opponents to a league-low 41%. WPI shot 35.7% from three-point range during the season to rank fourth and led the circuit, limiting opponents to just 28.9% from long range. The Engineers are outstanding from the free throw line as well, converting 76.9% of their tries. WPI during the regular season was middle of the pack with 35.6 rebounds per game. Wheaton's defense has been solid throughout the season, giving up just 68.6 points per game to rank third in the league, while scoring 71.0 points to place seventh. The Lyons slotted just below the Engineers with a 44.3% field goal mark and held opponents to 43.3% to rank fifth. Wheaton was sixth with a 34.5% three-point percentage and fifth with 8.5 three-pointers made per game. The Lyons were among the top four free throw shooting teams with a 70.2% clip. Wheaton has struggled on the boards with 32.8 rebounds per outing to rank eighth and was also eighth in rebounding margin.
Iafrate is arguably the best player in the league and has been outstanding in his last eight games, averaging 22.5 points per game. For the season, the junior is averaging 19.5 points per game to rank second and 2.8 steals to lead the league. In addition, he stands second in the NEWMAC with 4.6 assists and a 56.2% (182-324) field goal percentage. Herry averaged 11.5 points for the season and shot 33.1% (43-130) from three-point range to give Wheaton five shooters among the top 24 in three-point prowess. Herry also shot 81.1% (60-74) from the free throw line to place 13th in the conference. Morrissey has been one of the top front-court players in the NEWMAC with 11.7 points and 7.5 rebounds to place fourth in the league on the boards. Morrissey's dramatically improved outside shooting has resulted in him shooting 34.8% (32-92) to place him among the league's top long-range marksmen at 20th in the conference. The Lyons have boasted the same starting five for the majority of the year with all five players drawing 23 or more starts. Sophomore guard Sean Perri (West Roxbury, Mass.) has averaged 7.7 points in all games, while knocking down 33.3% (42-126) of his three-point tries. Sophomore forward Rex Zadrozny (Cumberland, R.I.) netted 5.7 points and pulled down 3.5 rebounds, while shooting 57.9% (66-114) from the floor.
WPI is led by Molen, who is their best all-around player with 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists and just over a steal per game, while shooting 47.7% (133-279) from the floor. The Engineers boast four players averaging double-digit points, including junior guard Nathan Bledsoe (San Antonio, Texas) with 14.8 points on 47% (118-251) shooting, while Reidy scores 12.9 points per game. The trio all shoot well from the outside at 38.9% or better. Senior guard J.R. Newman (Havertown, Pa.) chips in with 10.5 points per game as well. The quartet have started the majority of WPI's games this season.
