Men's Basketball (10-6, 2-1) Goes 2-0, Downs 2008 NCAA Elite Eight Team Coast Guard

The Wheaton College men's basketball team went 2-0 in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action last week, knocking off visiting Babson College, 71-46 on Wednesday before downing the United States Coast Guard Academy, 65-58 on Saturday. It was the Lyons' first win in New London, Connecticut, over the Bears, a 2008 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight qualifier and the two-time defending league tournament champion, since 2004.

In a series known for its close games – in the first 25 meetings, 15 had been decided by 11 points or fewer – Wheaton earned its largest margin of victory ever against Babson. Junior Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) tallied his fourth career double-double with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, while sophomore Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) had 13 points and five assists. Classmate Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) was 4-of-6 en route to 10 points and four helpers for the Lyons, who shot 59.1 percent in the second half.

Wheaton, which had produced one win its past nine contests with Coast Guard – a one-point triumph at the buzzer in Norton in 2007 – knocked off the Bears behind freshman Anthony Weeks' (Fitchburg, MA/Worcester Academy) season-high-tying 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting and season-best seven rebounds. Junior Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, VA/New Hampton School) added 13 points, and Coppola notched 11. Senior Nick Michel (Hyde Park, MA/Boston Latin School) totaled four points and four rebounds in just six minutes off the bench.

Michel remains eighth in program history in career blocks (49), while Leo (45) is one shy of the top 10. Coppola has 810 points in his 41-game career, as he sits 17th on Wheaton's all-time list. He is eighth in program history in three-pointers (110).