CAMBRIDGE, MA- Despite outscoring Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the second half, the Wheaton College men's basketball team could not overcome a large first-period deficit on Saturday, eventually falling to its New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) counterpart, 85-60 in Rockwell Cage.

The Lyons slipped to 12-8 overall and 4-3 in the league, while MIT, which is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com national poll, is now 14-5 and 6-1.

After yielding the first 10 points of the game, Wheaton drew as close as eight on only three occasions. Sophomore Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) drained a three to bring the Lyons within 19-11 at the 12:05 mark of the first half, but MIT went on a 17-2 run, taking a lead that stayed in the twenties for much of the remainder of the contest.

The Engineers held a 54-27 advantage at halftime thanks to 67.9 percent shooting from the floor, including a 6-of-9 showing from three-point range. They also hit 10-of-11 free-throw tries. Coppola provided 13 of Wheaton's opening-stanza points.

In the second half, the Lyons held a 33-31 advantage on the scoreboard thanks in part to shooting 60.9 percent, including 4-of-8 from deep. After trailing by as many as 29 points early in the period, Wheaton cut its deficit nearly in half, at one point going on a 17-4 run that brought it within 63-48 at the 10:55 mark.

Underclassmen played a role in all 17 points behind six buckets and three assists, as Coppola scored the first four points before freshmen Shawn Daily (Mount Vernon, NY/Mount Saint Michael Academy), Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, RI/Bishop Hendricken) and Bruno Naylor (Los Angeles, CA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) each had a hoop. However, MIT countered with the next six points, and the Lyons came closer than 18.

Coppola tallied a team-high 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while sophomore Ryan Sasso (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) shot 3-of-4 from three-point range in tallying 12 points. Naylor totaled eight points off the bench, while Degnan and senior Mark Sullivan (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) turned in four assists apiece.

Senior Jimmy Bartolotta (Littleton, CO/Heritage) had 39 points, going 6-of-9 from three-point range, and seven rebounds in cracking the 2,000-point plateau. Classmate Billy Johnson (Everett, MA/Kamiak) added 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, senior Bradley Gampel (Miami, FL/Ransom Everglades) had nine assists, and freshman Billy Bender (Woodlands, TX/Woodlands College Park) added 10 points and six helpers.

Wheaton returns home on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. contest with the United States Coast Guard Academy in the front end of a doubleheader with the women's squad.