Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2002-03 > February 3, 2003
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Men's Basketball (14-5, 3-3) Lands Pair of Wins over Springfield and Coast Guard
The Wheaton College men's basketball team got back to its winning ways this week, as the Lyons landed a pair of New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) victories over Springfield and Coast Guard following a 77-54 setback at Babson on Tuesday. Currently in fourth place in conference play, Wheaton defeated Springfield, 76-56 on Thursday and Coast Guard, 88-65 on Saturday in Emerson Gymnasium.
On Tuesday, Babson used a 14-2 run midway through the second half to run away with the 23-point victory. Both teams were sloppy in the early going, but Babson was able to build a 10-point lead late in the half. However, Wheaton first-year Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) nailed a three-pointer and junior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) added a free throw in the final minute and the Lyons pulled within six, 30-24, at the break. Wheaton continued its push early in the second half, as sophomore Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) and Kelly scored on back-to-back drives to the basket to cut the Lyons' deficit to two at 30-28. However, that would be as close as Wheaton would get, as Babson responded with a 9-2 run to build a 39-30 advantage.
The Beavers still led by nine with 12 minutes remaining in regulation, when a foul-line jumper sparked a 14-2 run that put the game away. Babson helped its own cause by hitting a season-high 90.3 percent (28-31) of their free throws, including 21-of-21 in the second half. Wheaton was led by Mahan, who recorded a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 8-of-12 (.667) from the field. Sophomore Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) added eight points and six boards and Kelly chipped in with eight points and three assists.
Against Springfield, Wheaton got back on track, as the Lyons used a strong second half to post their 20-point triumph over the Pride. In the first half, Wheaton maintained a small lead throughout the stanza and entered the intermission with a 28-26 lead. The Lyons jumped out to a 12-4 advantage in the first five minutes of the game. Vega had two buckets during the stretch and led the Lyons with eight first-half points. Springfield never held a lead, thanks in part to the play of junior forward Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) and freshman forward Jeff Depelteau (South Hadley, MA/Suffield Academy). Whall put down a reverse dunk with just over eight minutes to play, while Depelteau gave Wheaton some momentum heading into the break. The Pride knotted the game with under a minute to play, but Depelteau converted a tough hoop inside followed by taking a charge on the final play of the half to give the Lyons the two-point edge.
The Pride managed to tie the game at 30-30, only to surrender a 13-0 run by the home team early in the second frame. During that stretch, Whall and Stanton added a pair of back-to-back dunks, giving Wheaton a large enough cushion to capture the victory. Springfield was unable to make a run at the Lyons, as the hosts' lead ballooned to as many as 26 points late in the half. For the stanza, Wheaton made 17-of-32 (.531) shots from the field opposed to 9-of-28 (.321) for the Pride. Stanton led all scorers with 18 points (6-11 FG, 4-6 3-pt FG), followed by Vega's 17 points (6-8 FG, 4-5 FT), career-high eight assists and five rebounds. Wheaton also got 13 points (6-10 FG) and nine rebounds from Whall and a season-high 11 points from Depelteau.
Finishing the week against Coast Guard, Wheaton built a 23-point lead early in the first half and never looked back, as the Lyons secured the 23-point victory. The Lyons built their lead early in the first half behind Whall and Mahan. The Blue and White held a 7-5 edge at the 16:22 minute mark, but from that point on it was all Wheaton. The hosts caught fire, converting on 10 of their next 12 shots from the field while exploding to a 25-4 run for a 32-9 bulge with 9:15 to play. Whall made his first seven shots en route to a 16-point half, while Mahan hit all five shots he took, scoring 11 points in the first stanza. All told, Wheaton shot a school-record 72.4 percent (21-29 FG) from the floor and had 14 assists compared to only four turnovers. The Lyons held a comfortable 52-32 advantage heading into the break.
Coast Guard cut its deficit to 17 points on three occasions in the second half, with the latter coming at the 8:33 minute mark, but the Bears would get no closer, as the Lyons used an 11-4 run to extend their lead to 79-55 with 4:22 to play. For the game, Wheaton shot a season-best 57.4 percent (35-of-61 FG), including hitting 8-of-17 (.471) from three-point range, while the visitors converted on 22-of-58 (.379) from the floor. Wheaton posted 11 steals on the afternoon and forced 18 Bear turnovers.
Mahan's game-high 19 points (8-11 FG, 3-4 FT) led five Wheaton players in double-figure scoring. Whall finished the game with 18 points (8-11 FG) and Depelteau added 11 points (3-5 3-pt FG) for the second straight game. Senior Jarett Lewis (Detroit, MI/South Kent School) and Vega each chipped in with 10 points, with Vega adding six assists and three steals.
Women's Basketball (6-9, 2-2) Wins Second Conference Game, Defeats UMD and Smith
Winners in three of its last four games, the Wheaton College women's basketball team opened the week with a hard-fought 65-58 overtime loss to Coast Guard on Tuesday, but then defeated UMass-Dartmouth, 54-53 in non-conference action on Thursday and Smith, 58-49 in a league contest on Saturday. Standing sixth in the NEWMAC, the Lyons played all three games in Emerson Gymnasium.
Wheaton and the United States Coast Guard Academy played to a 50-50 draw at the end of regulation on Tuesday, but the Bears outscored the Lyons, 15-8 in the overtime session to capture the victory. In the opening half, Wheaton jumped out to an 8-0 advantage while holding the Bears scoreless for nearly five minutes of play. At the 17:05 minute mark, senior guard Jessica Arment (Lee, MA/Lee) hit a baseline lay-up from the left side to finish the eight-point run. Coast Guard then outscored the Lyons, 13-5 over a four-minute span. For the remainder of the half, both teams witnessed balanced scoring attacks, as the Lyons and Bears had eight players in the scoring column. Wheaton carried a 30-29 edge entering the intermission.
The second half played out very similar to the first stanza, as the two squads battled through five lead changes and three ties with no team holding a lead of more than four points. Trailing 50-46 following a Bear three-pointer, Arment tallied the game's final four points to force the extra session. Coast Guard let an opportunity to win the game slip away in regulation, as the Bears committed a turnover with three ticks left on the clock. A last-second three-point heave from half court by Wheaton's Kate Williams (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) bounced off the rim as time expired.
With the game knotted at 52-52 in overtime, Coast Guard exploded for eight unanswered points on the strength of a pair of treys. Trailing 60-52 with a little over two minutes to play, the hosts got as close as four points (62-58) on a three-pointer from senior guard Kerry Deshefy (Clinton, CT/The Morgan School) with 1:12 remaining. Forced to foul and unable to convert offensively, Wheaton saw the Bears hit three free throws to close out the scoring and keep their unblemished league record in tact. Arment and Deshefy led Wheaton in scoring with 10 points apiece, while sophomore forward Vanessa Savas (Belmont, MA/Belmont) added eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Against UMD, Savas posted the game-winning basket on a left-handed lay-up with 3.7 seconds to play, leading Wheaton to the thrilling one-point victory. With the exception of an early 4-4 tie, UMass-Dartmouth held a small lead through most of the opening half. A three-point bucket by Deshefy at the 6:36 minute mark gave the Lyons an 18-16 edge. The remainder of the half saw three lead changes and two ties, with the latter coming at 24-24 at the 2:19 minute mark. The visitors then reeled off seven unanswered points to take a 31-24 lead into the break. The Corsairs had a solid first half offensively, converting on 12-of-22 (.545) from the field opposed to 9-of-33 (.273) shooting for the Lyons.
In the second half, UMass-Dartmouth extended its lead to 39-25 with 14:11 to play. Over the next ten minutes, the hosts tied the contest by outscoring the Corsairs, 20-6, capped by a driving lay-up from sophomore forward Deverie Stover (Kingston, NY/Hawthorne Valley). Stover had a strong inside presence in the second stanza for the Lyons, as she posted eight points and eight rebounds. Knotted at 45 points apiece with 4:54 on the clock, Wheaton and UMD each tallied six points for a 51-51 knot with 27 seconds to play. Scoring her team's final seven points of the contest, Savas converted a traditional three-point play to give the Blue and White a 52-51 edge.
With 19 seconds to play, the Corsairs hit a running bank shot to lift the visitors to a 53-52 lead, setting up Savas' late-game heroics. From the top of the key, Deshefy found Savas on a designed back door play for the two-point conversion and thrilling win. A last second heave by UMD hit off the backboard as time expired. Savas led a balanced Wheaton scoring attack with 12 points and nine rebounds, while junior Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) accounted for 11 points and three steals. Stover had a monster day for the Lyons, registering career-high totals of 10 points and 12 rebounds. Deshefy also added 10 points, a game-high tying four steals and three assists.
Concluding the week at Smith, the Lyons led throughout the game's entirety, as the visitors jumped out early and never looked back. Wheaton had one of its best shooting performances in the opening stanza, hitting 11-of-20 (.550) shots from the field en route to a 32-24 lead at the break. Defense also took its course for the Lyons, as they held the Pioneers to seven first-half field goals and a .259 (7-27) shooting percentage. Smith was able to stay within striking distance by hitting 8-of-9 (.889) free throws. Despite a lower shooting percentage in the second half from both the field as well as the foul line, Wheaton was able to maintain a comfortable lead to close out the victory. The Lyons' aggressive play earned them a 39-24 rebounding advantage in addition to 29 appearances at the foul line opposed to 16 for the hosts. Arment continued her solid play for Wheaton, posting a team-best 15 points on 6-of-8 (.750) shooting from the floor. Deshefy contributed 11 points, while Brassil rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points to go along with her eight rebounds. Savas added eight points and seven boards for the victors.
Men's Swimming (2-7) Falls to Connecticut College, 135-95 in Dual Meet
The Wheaton College men's swimming and diving team dropped its second consecutive dual meet of the season, falling 135-95 against Connecticut College Saturday afternoon in Lott Natatorium. Wheaton posted three individual winners on the afternoon, led by junior co-captain Chris Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area). Hurley won the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events in 23.16 and 50.96, respectively. Sophomore Chris Klinkow (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline) rounded out the Lyon victories with a time of 57.12 in the 100-yard butterfly.
In the 1000-yard freestyle, junior Patrick Sagui (Westwood, MA/Westwood) fell seven hundredths of a second short of the school record, posting a second-place finish in 11:01.20. Sagui also recorded a second-place mark in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:02.66. The Blue and White also received runner-up placements from freshman John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle and senior co-captain Chris Peterson (Ashland, MA/Ashland) in the 100-yard breaststroke. On the platform, sophomore Aaron Beaulieu (Freeport, ME/Freeport) and freshman Charles Sawyer (Brooklyn, NY/Beacon School) finished in second in the one-meter and three-meter dives, respectively.
Women's Track Captures Seventh Annual Wheaton Invitational, Men Finish Second
The Wheaton College women's indoor track and field team posted eight first-place finishes Saturday afternoon, as the Lyons captured the seventh annual Wheaton Invitational at Haas Athletic Center's Beard Field House. Winning its seventh championship in as many years, the women posted an impressive 193 points overall, which was 73.5 points better than Division I Holy Cross. The men also posted a number of strong performances, placing second out of 10 teams with 97 points. Westfield State collected the team championship with 127 points.
On the women's side, the Lyons dominated the sprinting events, led by junior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury), who won the 55-meter dash in an NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time of 7.19. James also captured the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.17. Also placing in the 55-meter dash was first-year athletes Aquila Williams-Judge (Boston, MA/Scituate) and Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury). Williams-Judge finished the sprint in second place with a provisional qualifying time of 7.24, while Aspen placed fourth overall in 7.40. Junior Vernick Smith (Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson) and Aspen James also posted strong performances in the 200-meter dash, with Smith finishing third at 26.50 and James sixth at 26.74.
In the 55-meter hurdles, Williams-Judge and senior captain Kristen Cullen (Stoneham, MA/Stoneham) posted the top two times, with Williams-Judge achieving an NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying time of 8.11. Cullen scored a provisional qualifying time of 8.65, although in an earlier heat, she finished with a time of 8.63. Placing third overall was senior captain Noreen Kordzeil (Chittenango, NY/Chittenango). Williams-Judge rounded out her day with a victory in the long jump, leaping to a provisional qualifying mark of 18' 10".
The Blue and White also posted a clean sweep in the relay events, capturing the 4x200-meter, 4x400-meter and distance medley relay events. In the 4x200M, Williams-Judge and Smith teamed with the James' sisters for a time of 1:41.92, which was a mere 37-hundredths of a second off the school mark.
The 4x400M team, comprised of Kordzeil, senior Jana Bromell (Spencer, MA/David Prouty) and sophomores Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) and Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) captured the event with a provisional time of 4:00.97. Junior Kim Spence (Barrington, NH/Dover) along with a trio of first-year athletes in Kendra Leith (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional), Christina Langevin (Wilbraham, MA/Minnechaug Regional) and Oly Wirtz (Fitchburg, MA/Fitchburg) earned top honors in the distance medley relay in 12:54.73.
Wheaton captured three of the top four times in the 600-meter dash, with Wirtz victorious in a time of 1:38.63, while Smith (1:40.44) and Kordzeil (1:43.61) finished in second and fourth place, respectively. Other strong performances came from Bromell's second and third-place performances in the weight throw and shot put, respectively, Spence's third-place finish in the 800-meter dash, Leith's bronze in the 1,500-meters and senior captain Kerry Teamey's (Klamath Falls, OR/Henley) third-place standing and provisional result in the pole vault.
The men posted six event victories on the afternoon, with junior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) leading the way, as he won the 200 and 600-meter events with times of 22.56 and 1:22.72, respectively. Junior Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) won the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.71. Benson and Walker also keyed Wheaton's winning 4x400-meter relay team in 3:26.83.
In the distance events, junior Terry Panetta (Hicksville, NY/St. Anthony's) captured the 1,500-meter title in 4:07.16 and finished second in the 3,000M run with a time of 9:15.87. Junior Tyrone McClain (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) captured the long jump title with a distance of 22' 4 1/2".
Other strong performances came from freshman Ajay Sisodia's (Andover, MA/Andover) third-place finish in the 200-meter dash, sophomore Dan Olson's (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy) silver and NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying height in the high jump and first-year Justin Jin's (Seoul, South Korea/Newton North) third-place mark in the long jump and fourth-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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