Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (9-1) Extends Winning Streak to Six, off to Best Start Since 2002-03

The Wheaton College men's basketball team won its first three games during winter break, as the Lyons are riding a six-game winning streak for the first time since December 2005 after taking two games at the Cactus Jam Hoop Classic in Phoenix and coming up triumphant in their first game of 2008. Due to travel complications, Wheaton did not compete in Arizona until the second day of the three-day event, as it defeated Kean University, 83-71 on December 28 before downing Pacific Lutheran University, 86-71 the next day to finish fourth in the eight-team field. The Lyons continued their road run with an 87-67 victory at Fitchburg State College on Saturday, moving to 9-1 for the first time since 2002-03.

Freshman Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) notched 25 points and 10 rebounds, while junior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) tallied 10 points, 10 caroms and four blocks during Wheaton's win over New Jersey-based Kean. The teams played through seven first-half ties, and Coppola's three-pointer with 3:59 to go in the period gave the Lyons the lead for good. He finished 9-of-15, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, while Michel was 4-of-7. Sophomore Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) had 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting, as he hit all five free throw attempts and both three-point tries, while freshman Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) went 4-of-5 and hit both long-range attempts for 12 points and tacked on four assists.

Against Pacific Lutheran of Washington, Coppola became the first Wheaton freshman to hit seven three-pointers en route to scoring 34 points, the most by a Lyon first-year since January 30, 1990, and three shy of the program's freshman record. Coppola's lay-up eight seconds in put his team in front to stay, as the Blue and White scored the first 10 points. Coppola shot 12-of-20, including 7-of-8 from deep, and added three steals while becoming just the fourth Lyon to can seven threes. Michel shot 8-of-10 while finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals, Leo added eight points, five rebounds and four assists, while freshman Bobby Perry (East Providence, RI/East Providence) notched seven points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Wheaton went 10-of-16 from beyond the arc, as its 62.5 percent showing was sixth best in program history. The Lyons also shot 60.0 percent against Kean, marking the first time the team shot 60.0 percent from deep in consecutive games, and just the second time the team hit that plateau twice in a season.

A Michel bucket 17 seconds into play against Fitchburg State put Wheaton up for good, as the Lyons scored 17 of the game's first 18 points. Coppola shot 6-of-13 from the floor and finished with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists, while senior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) tallied 17 points off the bench behind 6-of-8 shooting from the field and a 4-of-4 effort from the charity stripe. He added four caroms, while Leo went 4-of-6 for 13 points. Sasso contributed 11 points and five boards, and freshman Bud Gaffney (Berkley, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) had 10 points and five assists.

The Lyons, who have started three freshmen in all 10 games, improved to 8-0 when Coppola is the team's leading scorer. The only other Wheaton freshman to lead the squad in scoring at least eight times was Will Hawkins '93, who did so on a first-year record 17 occasions in 1989-90.

Women's Basketball (7-4) Wins Three of Four While Competing in Two Tournaments

The Wheaton College women's basketball team split two games at the Hoop N Surf Tournament in Honolulu in mid-December before winning its New Year's Tournament in the first year hosting the event. The Lyons fell to South Dakota Tech, 74-46 on December 19 but downed Briar Cliff University, 67-59 the next day during its Hawaii finale. Junior Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) was named to the all-tournament team. The Blue and White then knocked off Lesley University, 73-41 on Thursday during the first round of its tournament before dropping Trinity College, 78-36 in the championship game on Friday. Senior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) was MVP, and sophomore Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) joined her on the all-tournament team.

In Wheaton's first game ever played outside the continental United States, the Lyons fell to South Dakota Tech, which was tied for 18th in the latest NAIA Division II national poll. Hickey shot 5-of-11, including 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, as she tallied 12 points, five rebounds and three assists. Champney notched 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Aitchison, Champney and Hickey each notched double-doubles during the Lyons' win over Briar Cliff of Iowa, as Wheaton held a 58-38 rebounding advantage. Aitchison keyed a game-ending 15-4 run by nailing a three-pointer with 4:30 remaining that put the Blue and White on top for good. Hickey was 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-4 on free throw tries in finishing with 19 points and 10 boards. Aitchison was 6-of-10 and hit 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, recording 16 points, 11 caroms and four steals. Champney was also 7-of-13 and totaled 14 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore point guard Andrea Bailey (Needham, MA/Needham) had seven rebounds, five points, four assists and three steals.

Against Lesley, Wheaton responded to a 6-5 deficit with a 38-9 run over a 13:07 span, and the Lyons held a comfortable 28-point halftime lead. Aitchison turned in 19 points on 9-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds, four steals and three assists, while sophomore Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) added 12 points and four rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench. Champney tallied nine points, six rebounds and two blocks, while Bailey totaled eight points and four assists.

Junior Bri Smith's (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) breakaway lay-up 29 seconds after tip-off with Trinity gave the Lyons the lead for good, as Wheaton scored the first eight points, led by 20 at halftime, and extended its advantage to 43 thanks to a 20-0 second-half run. Smith had a game-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Aitchison was 7-of-8 and finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists. Champney had 12 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks, while Bailey shot 5-of-7 for 13 points and recorded nine assists versus two turnovers. She tacked on three steals. Sophomore Stephanie Walker (Somers, CT/Somers) went 3-of-4 from three-point range to finish with nine points.

Hickey (928 points) is tied with Lissa Dietrich '90 for 10th on Wheaton's career scoring list, as she is just 72 points short of 1,000, a plateau no Lyon junior has reached. Hickey is also 10th in field goals (361), Smith is sixth in three-pointers (89), and Champney is tied for ninth in blocked shots (36).

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/7/08.
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