Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (4-1) Runs Win Streak to Four Games, Downs Salve Regina & Emerson

The Wheaton College men's basketball team ran its winning streak to four games with a pair of non-conference victories on the week. The Lyons opened their home portion of the 2003-04 season in strong fashion Tuesday with a 68-58 victory over Salve Regina University and then traveled to Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill on Thursday to upend Emerson College, 74-64.

On Tuesday against Salve, the score stayed tight throughout the first stanza, as there were six lead changes with neither team having better than a seven-point lead at any time. Senior forward Scott Mahan (Bridgewater, MA/Cardinal Spellman) kept the Lyons ahead with some key buckets including a flurry of three straight field goals in the early going of the first half. Junior guard Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) nailed a three in the final minute to put the Lyons up 34-31 heading into the locker room. In the second half, junior forward Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) drained back-to-back-to-back three pointers to spearhead an 11-2 run that put the game permanently out of reach for the visiting Seahawks. Vega and Mahan led the way for Wheaton with 16 points apiece. Vega played all but four minutes of the game and hit 7-of-8 free throws while recording five rebounds and three assists. Mahan shot 5-of-8 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line while blocking a game-best five shots and handing out a game-high tying four assists.

At Emerson, Vega posted a game-high tying and Wheaton season-best 28 points to lead the Lyons to their fourth straight win. Wheaton led through the majority of the minutes in the contest, including taking a 33-26 advantage into the locker room at the half. The Lyons shot 12-of-28 (.429) from the field and 3-of-7 (.429) from behind the three-point stripe in the opening stanza, while holding the hosts to 10-of-26 (.385) shooting from the floor and 1-of-3 (.333) from three-point range. In the second stanza, Emerson managed to stay close down the stretch, but it was Wheaton's stellar free throw shooting that made the difference, as the Blue and White knocked down 16-of-19 (.842) from the charity stripe in the second half alone. Vega was a key contributor from the free throw line, as he buried a career-high tying 10 foul shots for the night. Shooting 8-of-16 (.500) from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 (1.000) from the foul line, Vega also pulled down seven rebounds with two assists and a pair of steals in 30 minutes. Mahan totaled 13 points (4-8 FG) and a game-best eight rebounds, while Stanton rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points and five rebounds.

Vega Earns NEWMAC's First Weekly Honor of 2003-04 Season

Vega earned New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, November 30. Vega helped lead Wheaton to a 2-1 week, averaging 21.7 points per game while shooting 24-of-49 (.510) from the field and 7-of-15 (.467) from behind the three-point arc. He also averaged 4.7 rebounds per contest and 1.7 steals in leading the Blue and White to a pair of non-conference wins over Rhode Island College and Brandeis University. Named to Stonehill College's Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament team, Vega had 18 points (8-14 FG), seven rebounds and two steals in a 56-53 setback to Division-II St. Thomas Aquinas College and then posted 21 points (8-16 FG) and four rebounds in an 86-77 victory over Rhode Island College. At Brandeis, he exploded for 26 points in 40 minutes of action in pacing the Lyons to a 74-66 win.

Women's Basketball (2-3) Splits Two Non-Conference Contests, Defeats Anna Maria

The Wheaton College women's basketball team split a pair of non-conference games this week, as the Lyons suffered a hard-fought 65-56 setback at Brandeis University on Tuesday followed by a convincing 73-43 triumph over Anna Maria College on Thursday in Emerson Gymnasium.

At Brandeis, the Judges scored 13 unanswered points over 3:05 to open the contest. Wheaton answered with an 11-3 run of their own over the next six minutes, cutting the lead to five. Brandeis maintained its lead until a late push gave the Lyons a brief 33-32 edge following junior guard Kate Williams' (Portland, OR/Catlin Gabel) three-point basket and a lay-up by rookie forward Michelle Portilla (Queens, NY/Francis Lewis) with 59 second left in the half. The Judges hit a lay-up moments later for a one-point lead at the break, 34-33. Brandeis opened the second half with a brief 5-0 run, but the Lyons again clawed back, tying the game at 43-43 on junior forward Deverie Stover's (Kingston, NY/Hawthorne Valley School) free throws with 13:38 left the in game. The Judges answered with a three from the corner to spark a 7-0 Brandeis run that Wheaton never recovered from. Wheaton was paced by rookie reserve guard Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton), who had 16 points (6-12 FG), six rebounds and four steals. Senior guard Amanda Dow-Allen (Greenfield, MA/Stoneleigh-Burnham) also reached double figures with 15 points and a team-high three assists.

Against Anna Maria, Wheaton dominated play throughout the game's entirety. The Lyons sprinted out to a 7-0 run to start the contest and never looked back. The Amcats cut their deficit to three points at 16:38, but would get no closer. In the latter part of the first stanza, the Lyons strung together consecutive 9-0 runs. Freshman forward Shea Clarke (Bellingham, MA/Bellingham) did all the scoring herself in a separate 6-0 spurt towards the end of the half that put Wheaton up 42-20 at the break. Anna Maria kicked off the second stanza with a three-pointer, but Williams answered right back with a three of her own to quell any hope of a second-half spark for the visiting Amcats. Wheaton led by as many as 34 points at 73-39 with just over three minutes to play. Offensively, the Lyons were led by McCormack, who tallied her first double-double with a team-high 14 points (6-10 FG) and season-best 10 rebounds. Senior Taryn Brassil (Holyoke, MA/Holyoke) added 12 points with a career-best 14 boards, marking her fourth double-double performance of her career. Freshman Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) dished out a season-high eight assists, while Dow-Allen recorded a new career high in assists with six. Clarke also registered her highest point total of the season with 10 points.

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