NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College men's basketball team downed non-conference foe Salem State College, 89-73 on Tuesday in Emerson Gymnasium, besting a team that went to the past two NCAA Tournaments. The Lyons are now 4-1 after defeating the Vikings for the first time in Norton since 1994, as the visitors fell to 3-1.

The Lyons breezed out to an early lead, capturing an 18-3 advantage at 15:18 of the opening half when sophomore Bobby Perry (East Providence, RI/East Providence) hit a jumper in the lane after making a nice move to shake his defender. Wheaton began the game by hitting eight of its first 10 attempts, while sophomore Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) tallied seven points during that time as one of four Lyon scorers.

Wheaton led by as many as 17 points at 29-12 on Coppola's lay-in at the 11:12 mark off senior Nick Michel's (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) sideline pass, but Salem State crept back to within 34-26 behind a 14-5 run that took only 2:52. Senior Dylan Holmes (Groton, MA/Worcester Academy) scored four straight before classmate Ricky Ogboin's (Boston, MA/North Cambridge Catholic) bucket at 8:07 made it an eight-point game.

The Lyons reestablished a 15-point edge at 44-29 when junior Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) canned a three with 5:18 remaining, and the Vikings chipped away to make it a nine-point contest before Lyon senior Mark Sullivan (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) hit a three from the right wing at 1:21, and the hosts took a 47-36 advantage into the locker room.

Wheaton took care of the ball in the first half, committing only seven turnovers, while shooting 51.4 percent from the floor. The Lyons shot 61.5 percent from beyond the arc, going 8-of-13, as seven different players made a long-range shot. Salem State gave the ball away just eight times while shooting 45.2 percent.

Sophomore Nick Linear (Salem, MA/Salem) picked off a pass and went the length of the court to bring his team within 58-51 at 14:06 of the second stanza and, after Coppola responded with a hoop, Holmes hit two free throws, Ogboin dropped in consecutive buckets, and a Linear tip-in capped an 8-0 run to bring the Vikings within 60-59 at 10:36. However, they would get no closer, as six straight Lyon points helped the hosts push their lead back out to seven and, after two Ogboin free throws made it a 66-61 game, junior Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) buried a jumper, and Wheaton never again led by fewer than seven points. During the final 8:59 of regulation, the Lyons shot 15-of-16 at the charity stripe.

Coppola netted 24 points, going 8-of-8 on free-throw tries while contributing five assists and five rebounds. By nailing two threes, he moved into a tie for 10th in program history in career triples (95). Perry turned in 16 points and five boards, shooting 5-of-7, including 3-of-4 from three-point territory, while Leo went 6-of-7 for 14 points while snaring eight rebounds. Sophomore Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) also tallied 14 points, hitting both three-point tries, while collecting four helpers. Wheaton knocked down shots at a 52.4 percent clip during the second half and at 51.7 percent for the game while going 11-of-20 from deep and 18-of-21 at the line.

Linear led the Vikings on both ends of the floor, putting together 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Holmes finished with 13 points and seven boards. Ogboin also went for 13 points while rejecting three shots, and senior Stevie Celestin (Somerville, MA/Somerville) totaled 10 points and seven assists. The Vikings shot 43.1 percent but went just 3-of-14 from three-point range.

Wheaton has a week off, returning to action next Tuesday, December 2, at New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foe Connecticut College at 7:00 p.m.