Weekly Lyon

Men's Basketball (3-2) Turns in 2-1 Week Against Regional Non-Conference Foes

The Wheaton College men's basketball team went 2-1 last week, first defeating host Salve Regina University, 83-77 on Tuesday before downing Emerson College, 81-76 in the Lyons' home opener on Thursday. The wins propelled Wheaton to 13-0 all time against Emerson and marked the seventh straight game the Blue and White tallied at least 78 points, breaking the 1992-93 team's record of six. The Lyons capped their week with an 88-77 home loss against Bridgewater State College on Saturday, losing at home by more than nine points for just the second time since February 2003.

The Lyons used a 12-0 run midway through the second half to take the lead for good at Salve Regina. Freshman Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) finished with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting while going 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Senior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) netted 21 points, aided by a 9-of-10 showing from the free throw line, while grabbing a game-best eight rebounds. Junior Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) rounded out Wheaton's double-figure scorers with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes.

Against Emerson, Zukowski nearly pulled off a triple-double, leading all scorers with 23 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Zukowski also hit 4-of-5 free throw attempts while turning in a career- and game-high eight assists with seven rebounds. The Lyons rallied from a six-point deficit with 5:09 left thanks to a 17-3 run. Leo nailed 4-of-5 three-point attempts while contributing 16 points, snagging five rebounds and blocking a pair of shots. Junior Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) also tallied 16 points while knocking down 4-of-6 field goal attempts and 8-of-9 shots from the charity stripe. Johnston netted 11 points and grabbed seven boards.

Zukowski tallied 17 points against Bridgewater State while nailing three three-pointers and adding a game-high six assists. Johnston had 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting to go along with five helpers and a game-high four steals. Leo contributed 14 points, thanks mainly to four three-pointers, while sophomore Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) added career highs of 11 points and six rebounds. DiGiovanna snagged 10 boards.

Zukowski continued to climb Wheaton's all-time lists during the week, as he now sits sixth in career points (1,097) after just 83 games. Zukowski is also fifth in career three-pointers (149), sixth in steals (133), eighth in assists (199) and ninth in free throws (232).

Women's Basketball (3-3) Drops Three of Four, Including Narrow Loss to Brandeis

The Wheaton College women's basketball team went 1-3 over the past two weeks, starting with a 63-59 loss at Curry College on Wednesday, November 22. The Lyons returned from Thanksgiving break to nearly upset visiting Brandeis University, ranked eighth in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, before succumbing by a 73-72 final last Tuesday. After a 71-64 loss to visiting Fitchburg State College on Thursday, the Blue and White notched a 75-68 victory over Hartwick College on Saturday.

Wheaton led Curry by two with 1:57 remaining before the hosts scored the final six points. Senior Kim McCormack (Milton, MA/Milton) finished with 15 points, contributing an 11-of-14 effort from the charity stripe while converting the most free throws by a Lyon since February 2000. Freshman Jenny Champney (Bedford, MA/Bedford) scored 11 points, hit all seven of her free throw attempts, and nabbed six rebounds, while sophomore Krystin Hickey (Manchester, NH/New Hampton School) tallied nine points, seven boards and three steals in 18 minutes.

Against Brandeis, the Lyons nearly pulled off the momentous upset before the Judges erased a four-point hole during the final 21.6 seconds. Versus a team that entered the game allowing 36.2 points per contest, Wheaton shot 56.9 percent for the fifth-best showing in program history and connected on 11-of-13 free throw attempts. McCormack accounted for 17 points, while Champney notched 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting with eight rebounds. Hickey tallied 11 points, six rebounds and four assists, and freshman Ida Kruse (Vershire, VT/Rivendell Academy) totaled 10 points thanks to a 4-of-5 effort from the floor. Senior Casey Sorbara (Port Chester, NY/Trinity Catholic) had a game-high six assists.

The Lyons trailed throughout the second half during a loss to Fitchburg State. Senior Samara Audet (Derry, NH/Trinity) paced Wheaton with 18 points after shooting 7-of-10, including 3-of-6 from three-point territory. Hickey added 16 points, while McCormack collected 12 points and nine rebounds. Champney turned in six points, seven boards and two blocks in 14 minutes off the bench.

Against Hartwick, Wheaton snapped its three-game losing streak. Hickey paced the Blue and White with 18 points, hitting all six free throw attempts, to go along with a game-best nine rebounds. Sorbara notched a season-high nine points with five assists, while Champney, Kruse and junior Becky Aitchison (Norwalk, CT/Trinity Catholic) chipped in with eight points each. Sophomore Bri Smith (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) added seven, while McCormack had a solid all-around game with six points, six rebounds and five assists. Aitchison added four rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Men's (4-3) and Women's (5-2) Swimming Corral Six Event Victories at Camel Invitational

The Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving teams had athletes account for six event victories during the two-day Camel Invitational, hosted by Connecticut College on Saturday and Sunday. The Lyon women placed third out of six teams after turning in a fifth-place showing last year, and Wheaton's men placed fourth out of four teams.

Freshman Emily Sweatt (Portland, ME/Deering) highlighted the women's events by earning a 50-yard breaststroke win in 32.22, breaking her own school record by 0.23 seconds. She also just missed her own school mark by 0.02 ticks in the 100-yard breast. Junior Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose) won the 50-yard butterfly, clocking in at 27.56, which was 0.62 ticks ahead of the second-place finisher, good for the largest disparity between consecutive finishers in the 30-swimmer field. Pratt came within 0.06 seconds of her own school record. Sophomore Stacy Zickl (Wrentham, MA/King Philip Regional) triumphed in the one-meter dive, while the 200-yard medley relay quartet of Pratt, Sweatt, junior Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and freshman Iris Meehan (Bar Harbor, ME/Mount Desert Island) combined for a victory. Senior All-American Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) paced the Lyon men with a pair of freestyle victories. Roberts swam the 100-yard free in 47.23, finishing 1.26 seconds ahead of the next finisher, while completing the 50-yard free in 21.38.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/8/08.
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