Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (4-1) Continues Early Success During 2-1 Week

The Wheaton College men's basketball team continued its early-season success, moving to 4-1 for the second time in three years thanks to two wins in three contests. The Blue and White fell to visiting Salve Regina University, 68-67 on Tuesday before picking up road wins against Emerson College, 85-67 on Thursday and Bridgewater State College, 78-75 on Saturday. The Lyons are now 23-5 in games before January dating back to the 2002-03 season.

Against Salve Regina, the Lyons suffered a heart-breaking loss when the visitors notched the game-winning basket with three seconds remaining. It marked Wheaton's first one-point loss at Emerson Gymnasium since November 27, 2001. The hosts trailed by as many as 14 points but rallied behind the efforts of sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover), who recorded 10 points and five rebounds during a 10:25 span of the second half. Despite the outcome, senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) tied the program's career assists mark, recording six helper in the game to tie Tim Allen '00 with 406. Kelly also had 15 points and six steals, while DiGiovanna was 6-of-7 from the charity stripe in his 14-point performance. Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) grabbed nine boards. As a team, the Lyons recorded only six turnovers while the Seahawks had 19 giveaways, and the Blue and White held a 14-1 advantage in steals.

During Wheaton's win over Emerson, the Lyons used a 24-8 run during the first 8:46 of the second half to build upon a six-point halftime lead and put the game out of reach. Zukowski recorded 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-7 from long range, and racked up a career-high 10 boards for his first career double-double to go along with four steals and three assists. Kelly continued his dependable play from the point, notching six helpers to become the program's career assists leader. He also went 6-of-9 for 17 points. DiGiovanna turned in a career-high 18 points by hitting 6-of-9 shots, and freshman Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) finished with a season-high 11 points. The Lyons went 20-of-32 from the floor in the second half, hitting 62.5 percent of their shots.

The Blue and White completed the week with a close victory over local foe Bridgewater State, winning for the eighth time in 11 meetings with the Bears. Wheaton shot 15-of-30 from the field during the second half and, after leading by three with 2.1 seconds remaining, stole Bridgewater State's ensuing inbounds pass and ran out the clock. Kelly nearly turned in a triple-double performance with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and Zukowski recorded 11 points and 10 caroms for his second straight double-double while tying a career high with six helpers. DiGiovanna had 16 points, and sophomore Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) went 5-of-8 for 14 points and corralled seven rebounds.

Kelly Selected NEWMAC Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week

Kelly was named New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Co-Player of the Week for the week ending on Sunday, November 27. Wheaton's senior point guard was named Wheaton Tip-Off Tournament Most Valuable Player on November 19 after averaging 15.5 points, 8.5 assists, 6.5 steals and 5.5 rebounds during the Lyons' two-game sweep. He shot 12-of-19 (.632) from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

During Wheaton's opener against Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) on November 18, Kelly accounted for 10 points, nine assists, a career-best eight steals and seven rebounds in a 112-64 win. In addition to Kelly's eight steals ranking as the program's second-highest single-game total, he moved into first place on the school's career steals list with 175. The next day, Kelly helped the Lyons knock off Rhode Island College, 87-82 in the title game, as the captain recorded a game-high-tying 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting with game-best totals of eight assists and five steals. During the contest, Kelly became the second Lyon with 400 career helpers.

Women's Basketball (5-1) Records Best Start Since 1995-96 Campaign

The Wheaton College women's basketball team knocked off visiting Curry College, 87-67 just before Thanksgiving before going 2-1 this past week, improving to 5-1 for the first time since the 1995-96 season. On Tuesday, the Lyons suffered their only loss at nationally-ranked Brandeis University, 83-39 before rebounding with a win Thursday at Fitchburg State, 47-40 and a dramatic 62-59 victory over Tufts University on Saturday at Emerson Gymnasium.

Behind a career-high 29 points from junior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton), including 17 in the opening half, Wheaton downed Curry on Tuesday, November 22. The Lyons used a 20-4 run during the opening 6:14 of the second half to pull away, receiving eight points from freshman Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) during that time. McCormack also grabbed 11 rebounds, and her career-best point total came on a night when she finished 10-of-19 from the field, as well as 9-of-12 on free throws. The 29 points tied for sixth in a single contest in program history. In her first collegiate start, sophomore Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) recorded her first career double-double behind 11 points and 11 boards, while Hickey contributed 17 points and nine caroms. For the game, the Lyons held a decisive 55-30 rebounding advantage while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Despite knocking down only one three-pointer on five attempts, Wheaton recorded its highest point total since February 13, 1997 thanks to 26-of-35 shooting from the charity stripe.

During their first contest following Thanksgiving vacation, the Lyons fell at Brandeis, ranked fourth in the latest D3hoops.com national poll. Aitchison notched a team-high 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Hickey collected seven points, seven rebounds and four assists. As a team, Wheaton racked up nine steals to Brandeis' five and posted assists on 15 of its 17 field goals.

At Fitchburg State, the Lyons picked up their first win when scoring fewer than 50 points since February 15, 2003 and their first road win when scoring less than 50 since January 20, 2001. Aitchison registered a career-high 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting to pace Wheaton. Junior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) tallied six assists on the evening, and Hickey dished out four assists to go along with 12 points and six rebounds. Freshman Bri Smith (Westford/Westford Academy) posted nine points, while McCormack added six points, eight rebounds and four steals. Wheaton forced 16 second-half giveaways to turn a seven-point halftime lead into a seven-point victory. The Lyons recorded 16 assists on 19 field goals and limited Fitchburg State to just two three-pointers in 20 attempts.

Aitchison continued her clutch play for the Lyons versus Tufts, receiving an inbounds pass from McCormack with 1.2 seconds remaining in a tie game and nailing a long three-pointer at the buzzer for a dramatic victory. After trailing at the half, 25-24, and leading by as many as 10 points in the second period, Wheaton saw Tufts come all the way back to knot the score with four seconds remaining in regulation. However, after advancing the ball close to midcourt and calling timeout before the final play, the Blue and White came away with its first victory against the Jumbos since February 6, 1997. Hickey led all scorers with 21 points while McCormack posted a double-double with 12 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Aitchison chipped in 10 points while recording a career-best six steals, and Smith netted 10 points to round out the double-figure scoring. The Lyons held a 23-14 edge in points off turnovers, of which they forced 23.

Men's (6-1) and Women's (6-1) Swimming and Diving Excel at Camel Invitational

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams took part in the Camel Invitational at Connecticut College on Saturday and Sunday, and the Lyon men came in third out of five teams with 518 points, while the women placed fifth in a six-team field with 212 points.

Junior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) led four men's relay teams to first-place finishes, including one to a school-record time, and was first among competitors in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.35 and the 100-yard free in 46.46. His finish in the 100-yard free was also good enough for an NCAA Division III national meet provisional qualifying time. Roberts joined sophomore Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth) and freshmen Chris Romilly (Washington, DC/Saint Albans) and T.J. Sponzo (Simsbury, CT/Avon Old Farms) to set a program standard in the 200-yard freestyle relay on Saturday, turning in a time of 1:26.63, which was 0.24 seconds faster than the previous mark. The foursome took home first in the 400-yard free relay on Sunday in a time of 3:12.98, just 0.31 seconds shy of matching the program record.

Jordan, Roberts, Romilly and junior Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) won the 200-yard medley relay in 1:37.67 before the foursome took home a victory in the 400-yard medley relay in 3:36.39, nipping second-place Coast Guard by 0.07 seconds. Jordan had a strong showing during individual events as well, placing second in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard backstrokes. Hurley came in second among 100- and 200-yard breaststroke competitors and third in the 50-yard breast and 200-yard individual medley. Hurley also sided with Roberts, Sponzo and senior John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall) for a third-place showing in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Sophomore Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue) placed second in the 400-yard individual medley and third in the 200-yard back.

For the Wheaton women, sophomore Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) had the top performance for the Lyons, placing second in the 100-yard butterfly. Junior Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) contributed a strong showing with fourth-place finishes in the 50-, 100- and 200-yard fly events, and Smith joined sophomore Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshmen Caitlin Glover (Durham, NH/Berwick Academy) and Kelly Grant (South Salem, NY/John Jay) to come in fourth among 400-yard medley relay teams. Freshman Casey Shanley (Rumson, NJ/Suffield Academy) came in third in the 1,650-yard freestyle, Glover finished fourth in the 50-yard backstroke and Pratt placed fourth in the 100-yard free.

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