Athletics > Weekly Lyon > 2002-03 > December 16, 2002
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Men's Basketball (7-0) Closes Semester Unbeaten for First Time in School History, Runs Winning Streak to Seven Games with Victories over Endicott and Roger Williams
The Wheaton College men's basketball team closed the semester with its first undefeated start in the 14-year history of the program, as the Lyons also extended their winning streak to seven games for the first time since the 1998-99 season. Wheaton edged Endicott, 68-67 on Tuesday in Beverly and then pulled away from Roger Williams on Thursday to secure a 75-59 victory in Emerson Gymnasium.
On Tuesday, the Lyons raced to a 38-29 advantage at the half, but the Gulls responded early in the second stanza, reeling off 12 unanswered points to start the half with a 41-38 edge. Both teams battled back and forth through several lead changes over the course of the second half. Wheaton used timely free throws down the stretch to take a 68-65 lead with 30 seconds to play, including four straight foul shots from senior captain Jarett Lewis (Detroit, MI/South Kent School).
Following a two-point jump shot by an Endicott player with 15 seconds remaining, Lewis took the inbounds pass up the floor and passed the ball to junior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy), who ran out the clock for the one-point victory. Wheaton continued its torrid pace from the charity stripe, knocking down 14-of-17 (82.4%) shots from the foul line.
For the third straight contest, junior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) led the Lyons offensively, posting a game-high 23 points (11-18 FG), a team-high tying eight rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. Lewis and Whall each chipped in 11 points, while first-year Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) posted six points, eight boards, six assists and three steals.
Against Roger Williams, the Lyons were behind for the majority of the first frame, but were able to take the lead with less than a minute to play before the intermission. Sophomore Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) scored eight of Wheaton's first 10 points early in the stanza. Roger Williams took its first lead of the game with 12:12 remaining at 13-12 and held onto the lead until the closing seconds of the opening half. With 34 seconds on the clock, Vega drove to the hoop and hit a tough bank shot over two Hawk defenders to give the Lyons their first lead since early in the first half. Wheaton got the ball back off of a turnover and with no time remaining Mahan hit a lay-up to give Wheaton the 33-30 advantage at the break. Mahan paced the Lyons in the first half with 15 points, while Vega chipped in 12 points.
In the second half, the Lyons opened up a nine-point lead (43-34) with just under 15 minutes to play, thanks in part to a three-pointer from Lewis. Over the next five minutes, Roger Williams cut into its deficit and in the process used an 8-0 run to pull to within one point at 51-50 with 10:27 remaining. Lewis however would lead the Lyons to a run of their own, subsequently hitting two threes during a 14-6 spurt to seal the victory. Wheaton shot 27-of-56 (.482) from the field, compared to 19-of-65 (.292) for the Hawks. Mahan led the Lyons with a game-high 26 points (9-10 FG), 13 rebounds and four blocks. Vega posted a career-high 24 points (9-16 FG), while Lewis added 11 points. Kelly had a game-high six assists and three steals for the Lyons.
Mahan Tabbed NEWMAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week
Mahan was tabbed New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, December 8. Mahan, a junior transfer from Bentley College, had a monster week for the Lyons, averaging 25.0 points per game while shooting 20-of-30 (66.7%) from the field, in leading Wheaton to its first 5-0 start in school history. For the week, he helped pace the Blue and White to a pair of non-conference victories over Salve Regina and Bridgewater State.
On Tuesday at Salve Regina, Mahan posted a season-high 27 points, shooting 11-of-16 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line with three blocked shots, as Wheaton overcame a late deficit to capture a 69-66 victory. On Saturday against Bridgewater State, he recorded 23 points (9-14 FG, 5-8 FT) and six rebounds in an 83-70 win over the Bears. At the time, Mahan led the conference in rebounds (8.0 RPG) and blocked shots (2.2 BPG). He also ranked ranked second in scoring (19.6 PPG) and field goal percentage (.618) and fourth in free throw percentage (.848).
Women's Basketball (2-5) Finishes Semester with Non-Conference Loss at Salem State
The Wheaton College women's basketball team finished the semester on a down note, as the Lyons dropped an 80-52 non-conference decision at Salem State last Thursday night. Wheaton was unable to overcome Salem's strong second-half shooting, as the Vikings stretched a 28-24 halftime lead into a convincing 28-point victory. It was a tale of two halves for Wheaton, as the Lyon defense held the Vikings to 10-of-34 (.294) shooting, including 0-of-7 from three-point range in the first half. The game remained close however, as the Blue and White also struggled to find the target, hitting 8-of-27 (.296) from the field in the first stanza.
The second half proved to be a different story, as Salem State was able to find a groove, hitting 18-of-31 (.581) field goals en route to scoring a blistering 52 second-half points. The Lyons on the other hand continued to struggle, going 7-of-32 (.219) from the field, including 1-of-13 from beyond the three-point arc. In addition to being outshot for the game, Wheaton committed 26 turnovers as opposed to 13 giveaways for the Vikings. Junior guard Amanda Dow-Allen (Deerfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) led the way for Wheaton with 12 points. Senior guard Jessica Arment (Lee, MA/Lee) totaled 10 points, while classmate Kerry Deshefy (Clinton, CT/The Morgan School) added nine points.
Swim Teams Fall to MIT in Final Meet of Semester, Women (3-3) Suffer 152-117 Defeat While Men (0-4) Drop 148-91 Decision
The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams finished their semester of competition with a pair of losses to conference power MIT. The women suffered a 152-117 defeat, while the men dropped a 148-91 decision Friday evening in Cambridge.
Despite the loss, Wheaton managed to shatter a trio of school records, including two on the women's side and one for the men. Freshman Cassie Bannell (Farmington, CT/Farmington) broke her own mark in the 100-yard backstroke event, winning the event in a time of 1:01.59. She then joined junior Katie Levine (Needham, MA/Needham), sophomore Amanda Berthelette (Milford, NH/Milford) and first-year Alexandra Cheney (Santa Monica, CA/Marymount) in the 200-yard freestyle relay, shattering a four-year record with a time of 1:44.89.
The women also had several strong runner-up performances, led by Bannell's second-place mark in the 50-yard freestyle event. Berthelette and sophomore Fiona McQuade (Pawcatuck, CT/Prout) placed second in the 200 backstroke and 100 breaststroke, respectively, while Wheaton's 400-yard medley relay also finished second overall.
For the men, junior co-captain Chris Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) shattered an eight-year record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 11:01.13. Hurley now owns an amazing seven individual school marks for the Lyons. He also finished third in the 100-yard butterfly event. Other strong performances came from freshman John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events, finishing third overall in both races. On the platform, sophomore Aaron Beaulieu (Freeport, ME/Freeport) placed second in both the one and three-meter dives.
Cavanaugh Garners NSCAA/adidas All-America Men's Soccer Team Laurels for Second Consecutive Season, Cavanaugh & Antoniuk Selected to All-New England First Team
Wheaton College senior men's soccer standout Shaun Cavanaugh (Newtown, CT/Newtown) was selected to the 2002 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas NCAA Division III All-America second team. This marks the second consecutive season that Cavanaugh was tabbed an All-America, as he was named to the first team a year ago, and seventh straight year that a Wheaton men's soccer player was named to a NSCAA/adidas All-America squad.
In addition to second-team All-America honors this season, Cavanaugh was named a first-team All-New England selection for the third consecutive season. A fourth-team All-New England choice in 2000 and a first-team pick in 2001, Cavanaugh was a three-time NEWMAC All-Conference selection and 2001 and 2002 NEWMAC Player of the Year.
This season, Cavanaugh recorded 21 points (9g, 3a) in his final year with the Blue and White. For his career, Cavanaugh ranks tied for second in goals (35), third in points (92) and fifth in assists (22). As a player from 1999-2002, Cavanaugh was a member of three postseason squads (NCAA twice, ECAC once), including the 2001 team that won the NCAA New England Regional Championship. In his four seasons, the Lyons have captured two NEWMAC regular season crowns and a pair of tournament titles, culminating to a 65-16-2 (.795) record.
In addition to Cavanaugh qualifying for the All-New England squad, senior forward Dan Antoniuk (Philadelphia, PA/Central) was also named to the first team. This marks the third selection to the All-New England squad for both Antoniuk and Cavanaugh. Antoniuk was a second-team choice in both 1999 and 2000 as well as a third-team All-America in 2000.
Antoniuk, a three-time NEWMAC All-Conference selection and 2000 NEWMAC Player of the Year, will leave Wheaton as the all-time record holder in every major statistical category, including career totals of 54 goals, 36 assists and 144 career points. He also holds the school marks for goals (18), assists (13) and points (49) in a season, all of which were set in 2000.
This season, Antoniuk netted 12 goals and 11 assists for 35 points in 15 games before his season was cut short due to injury. Playing from 1998 through 2000 in addition to this past season, Antoniuk participated on three teams that advanced to the postseason (NCAA once, ECAC twice), including the 1998 team that captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship. In his four seasons, Wheaton won two NEWMAC regular season titles and a pair of conference tournament championships, culminating to a 62-18-3 (.765) record.
Prihoda & Duffy Become First Wheaton Women's Soccer Tandem to be Selected to NSCAA/adidas All-America First Team, McHugh & Brennan Named All-New England
Wheaton College women's soccer standouts Tracy Prihoda (Needham, MA/Needham) and Erin Duffy (East Longmeadow, MA/East Longmeadow) were selected to the 2002 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division III All-America first team. This marks the first time that two Wheaton women's soccer players were named to the first team and fourth time in as many years that the women have had a player chosen to one of the All-America teams.
One of only three forwards recognized as a first-team All-America, Prihoda, who was named to the third team a year ago, was selected to the 2002 NSCAA/adidas All-New England first team and honored as the NEWMAC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She was also named to the all-conference team by the league's coaches. One of only two sophomores named to the first team, Duffy was also tabbed to the 2002 NSCAA/adidas All-New England first team and NEWMAC All-Conference team for the second straight year.
Prihoda, who shattered the school's career scoring records with 74 goals and 186 points, registered a conference-best 30 goals, 23 assists and 83 points this year. Her 23 assists set a new single-season record at Wheaton, as she is a mere four assists away from breaking the all-time career mark. Prihoda finished the year ranked third nationally in assists per game (0.96 APG), sixth in points per contest (3.46 PPG) and tied for 16th in goals per game (1.25 GPG).
Duffy again anchored one of the best defenses in the country from her back position. She spearheaded a stingy defense that allowed 12 goals in 24 games, which ranked 12th in the country with a goals against average of 0.49. Offensively, Duffy was tied for the fifth on the squad in scoring with 10 points (4g, 2a). Over a two-year span, Duffy and Prihoda have been a part of one of the region's elite programs that has compiled an overall record of 42-3-0 (.933).
In addition to Prihoda and Duffy qualifying for the All-New England squads, junior forward Christy McHugh (Salem, MA/Bishop Fenwick) and sophomore forward Erin Brennan (Mesa, AZ/Xavier College Prep) were also selected to the first and second teams, respectively. Wheaton was the only school to have three honorees chosen to the first team.
McHugh, who is six points away from becoming the fourth Wheaton player to reach the 100-point milestone, had the strongest season of her career with 14 goals, 10 assists, 38 points and six game-winning goals. For the second consecutive year, Brennan finished second on the team in scoring with 17 goals, 10 assists and 44 points. In only two seasons, Brennan has compiled 83 points.
The NSCAA/adidas All-America teams are determined through voting by NSCAA member coaches across the nation. The teams, ranging from youth to NCAA Division I, will be honored at the 56th annual NSCAA Convention on January 15-19 in Kansas City, Missouri.
This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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