Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (7-3) Splits Pair of Games at DeSales Holiday Classic, Upends Fitchburg

The Wheaton College men's basketball team split its two games at the Casa Mia Holiday Classic held at DeSales University and later in the week knocked off Fitchburg State College in a non-conference game. At DeSales, the Lyons defeated Rutgers University-Camden, 101-76 on Sunday before falling to the hosts, 64-56 on Monday. Already playing in its eighth road game of the season this past Saturday, Wheaton handily defeated the Falcons of Fitchburg State, 78-51 to improve to 7-3.

Versus Rutgers-Camden, the Lyons exploded for a season-high 55 points in the opening half and never looked back, as senior Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) and junior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) led the way with 20 points apiece. Junior Frankie Whall (Roslindale, MA/Cheshire Academy) and senior Richard Henninger (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School), who returned to action for the first time this season, had a memorable sophomore debut by shattering the school's single-game assist record. Finishing with 12 assists, including 10 helpers in the opening stanza, Kelly also totaled nine points, seven rebounds and a game-high six steals.

At DeSales, the Bulldogs took advantage of Lyons' miscues in the opening half, holding a 7-2 edge in points off turnovers. The hosts led by as many as seven points several times in the first period and never trailed, carrying a 31-25 lead into the half. Wheaton hung tough however, getting as close as two points on a Vega free throw with 8:51 to play. Mahan played well on both ends of the court with seven points and six boards in 16 minutes. Wheaton managed to tie the contest on two occasions in the second half, with the latter coming at 39-39 with 12:43 remaining. Leading 45-43 midway through the stanza, the Bulldogs then used an 8-0 run to take a 53-43 advantage and a lead that would not be relinquished. Mahan, who was named to the All-Tournament team, paced Wheaton with 19 points (8-16 FG) and 11 rebounds. Vega finished with 14 points (8-10 FT), while Kelly, also selected to the All-Tournament team, had seven points, nine rebounds and three assists.

At Fitchburg State, Vega went over the 30-point plateau for the second time this season. Exploding for a game-best 32 points (10-20 FG, 6-13 3-pt FG) including 23 points in the opening half alone, Vega scored 18 of Wheaton's 22 points through the first nine minutes of play. Wheaton had the game well in hand after the first 20 minutes, leading 39-21 at the break. In addition to maintaining its defensive presence in the second half, Wheaton was also hitting its target offensively. Holding the Falcons to 10-of-35 (.286) shooting in the second stanza, the Lyons converted 13-of-23 (.565) from the floor. Wheaton held the upper hand on the glass, holding a 55-36 rebounding edge over the hosts. Vega, who was credited with two assists and a block in 37 minutes, finished the game one rebound short of a double-double performance. Mahan registered his second straight double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Whall rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points. Henninger pulled down 10 boards, while Kelly dished out a game-high seven assists.

Women's Basketball (3-7) Drops Three Straight to Open Second Semester of Play

The Wheaton College women's basketball team dropped three straight games to open its second semester of play this week, beginning with its 60-37 setback at Salve Regina University on Tuesday. The Lyons then opened New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play with a 67-58 loss to Mount Holyoke College on Thursday and a 46-40 defeat at Smith College on Saturday.

At Salve Regina, the Lyons kept things close in the opening half, trailing 19-17 with 3:12 to play. Salve then finished the stanza on a 12-0 run to go into the intermission with a 31-17 cushion. The Seahawks maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way, holding visiting Wheaton to only 20 percent shooting. Senior Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) was the lone double-figure scorer for the Lyons with 10 points. Junior Deverie Stover (Kingston, NY/Hawthorne Valley School) added nine points and a team-high eight boards in the loss.

Against Mount Holyoke, freshman Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) knocked down a pair of free throws and helped the Lyons tie the game at 11 points apiece with 13:42 to play in the first half, but that proved to be the only tie of the contest, as Holyoke then went on a 12-2 run over a five-minute stretch to take a 23-13 advantage. In the second half, the visitors began the stanza outscoring Wheaton, 16-6 to take a commanding 49-33 lead with 11:59 remaining. Trailing 61-44 with just over five minutes on the clock, the Lyons refused to quit, as three consecutive three-point buckets from senior Amanda Dow-Allen (Greenfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) helped Wheaton cap an 11-2 run to claw back into the game. Behind 63-55 with 2:19 to play, the Lyons were unable to take advantage of their offensive opportunities down the stretch, as Mount Holyoke put the game away for good by scoring four straight points. Dow-Allen led the way with 20 points, while Stover added 19 points and eight rebounds.

At Smith, Wheaton's offensive struggles continued in the opening half, as the Lyons totaled eight field goals and 20 points through the first 20 minutes of play. The Pioneers held a 29-20 advantage at the break. Smith extended its lead in the second half and held an 11-point cushion with ten minutes remaining, but the Blue and White chipped away at their deficit and managed to knot the game at 40 points apiece with 1:17 on the clock. A two-point basket by Holyoke with 47 ticks remaining and a pair of free throws sealed the win. McCormack had seven points and a game-high four steals, while four Lyon players finished the contest with six points. Brassil pulled down a game-best 12 rebounds to go along with her six points in the loss.

Men's and Women's Track and Field Opens 2004 Season with Pair of Top Six Finishes at 35th Annual Dartmouth Relays

The Wheaton College men's and women's track and field teams competed in their first meet of the 2004 season in strong fashion Sunday afternoon, as the Lyons posted a pair of top six team finishes at the 35th annual Dartmouth Relays in Leverone Field House. The five-time national champion women's team began defense of their title by finishing third among 26 competing teams with 48 points. On the men's side, the Lyons posted 20 points and placed sixth out of 28 scoring teams.

Highlighting the meet was junior Dan Olson (Voorheesville, NY/Albany Academy), who shattered Wheaton's seven-year record in the high jump. Leaping to an astounding 7' 2 1/2", Olson broke the school's previous mark by a quarter of an inch. Finishing first in the meet by nearly five inches, Olson also exceeded the NCAA Division III national meet automatic qualifying standard.

Senior Erik Benson (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) was also impressive with the meet's top finish in the 400-meter dash. Finishing with a time of 48.67, Benson posted a provisional qualifying mark for the national meet in mid-March. Junior Adam Walker (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) and sophomore Ajay Sisodia (Andover, MA/Andover) placed ninth and 11th, respectively in the event. In the 60-meter hurdles, junior Jamaal Rawls-Payton (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) advanced to the finals and in the race finished eighth overall in 8.79.

On the women's side, senior Amber James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) tallied 14 points on her own with an individual title in the 400-meter dash and a fourth-place mark in the 60-meter dash. James topped the competition in the 400M event with an NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time of 58.17 and also hit a provisional standard in the 60M race with a time of 7.81. Sister Aspen James (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury) finished eighth in the event in 7.94, but she did manage to record a provisional qualifier in the preliminaries with a time of 7.85.

Aspen James also ran a leg of the 4x200-meter relay team with junior Jessica Allegra (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton), sophomore Lindsey Walker (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) and freshman Alison Amendola (Franklin, MA/Franklin). The foursome placed third overall in 1:47.67. First-year Jennifer Harlow (East Bridgewater, MA/East Bridgewater) rounded out Wheaton's strong finishes on the track by advancing to the finals in the 60-meter dash. She finished eighth overall with a time of 9.75.

The Lyons were very impressive in the field, spearheaded by Noelle Battista's (Warwick, RI/Toll Gate) school record in the pole vault. Vaulting to a height of 12' 4", the sophomore cleared the old mark by more than seven inches. Battista recorded an automatic qualifying height and in the process gave Wheaton 10 points with her top placement. Wheaton later landed three of the top four marks in the high jump, led by freshman Crystal Blamy (Walpole, NH/Fall Mountain View). Blamy finished second at 5' 6", while Kathrine Wallace (Glenmoore, PA/The Hill School) and Harlow placed third and fourth, respectively with jumps of 5' 4 1/4". All three registered provisional qualifying jumps.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 1/30/07.
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