NORTON, MA- Wheaton College used a late 13-0 run to overcome a nine-point second-half deficit en route to a 68-58 win over the United States Coast Guard Academy in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) men's basketball contest on Wednesday evening in Emerson Gymnasium. The Lyons, who swept the regular season series for the first time since 2003-04, improved to 13-8 overall and 5-3 in the league to remain third in the conference. Coast Guard, which won the past two league tournaments, fell to 8-11 and 1-7.

After trailing by nine points with less than 13 minutes remaining in the contest, the hosts slowly chipped away, as sophomore Ryan Sasso's (Peabody, MA/Bishop Fenwick) three made it 48-42 before senior Mark Sullivan's (West Roxbury, MA/Catholic Memorial) second long-range shot of the night made the score 52-47 at 7:52. With his team down by six, Sasso dished to freshman Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, MA/Worcester Academy) for another trey before tying the contest 1:11 later when his three rattled around the rim and fell at 6:03.

With 4:47 to go, sophomore Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) dropped a shot just off the rim to give his squad an edge it did not relinquish, and the second-year guard buried a three on the next possession before Sasso drove into the lane and banked a lay-up off glass to make it 60-53 with 2:54 left. Coast Guard twice cut its deficit to five, but a 6-0 spurt from the charity stripe in the final 41 seconds iced the game for the Lyons.

Wheaton committed only three turnovers in the second half and just seven for the game. The hosts were bolstered by 60 percent shooting in the final stanza, including a 6-of-7 showing from beyond the arc and a 12-of-13 effort on free-throw tries. The Lyons limited the Bears to 41.7 percent shooting in the period.

Coast Guard grabbed an 11-10 lead 7:37 into the game behind four straight points, but a Sasso three put Wheaton back on top, 13-11 at 11:55. However, a quick 6-0 run provided the Bears with an advantage on the final lead exchange of the half, and the seventh of 10 in the contest. The visitors went on top by as many as eight at 26-18 with 5:44 to go on sophomore Trip Fernandes' (Branford, CT/Branford) three, but Sullivan's trey brought the Lyons within 28-24 at the three-minute mark. Freshman Bruno Naylor (Los Angeles, CA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) countered a Coast Guard three with a tip-in at the halftime buzzer, making it 31-26 at the break.

The Lyons controlled the offensive glass during the opening half, as 11 of their 17 boards came on the offensive end. Over the first 18:34, Wheaton committed just one turnover. The Bears hit 11 of their first 15 tries from the floor, turning in a 66.7-percent performance for the period while attempting 17 fewer shots than the Lyons.

Wheaton surged out of the locker room, going on an 11-4 run to capture a 37-35 lead at 16:06 behind a Coppola basket, his third of the run. Leo contributed the other five points. The Bears regrouped with 11 straight points during 2:41 behind scoring from three players to grab a 46-37 advantage by 13:07 before the Lyons rallied.

Leo led all scorers with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting to go along with five rebounds and four assists. Coppola turned in 15 points and five boards, Sasso had 13 points and four helpers, while Weeks notched eight points. Junior Ben Stehle (Newton, MA/Newton South) snagged seven caroms as the Lyons held a 30-27 edge on the glass. Wheaton shot 10-of-21 from deep and 12-of-14 at the charity stripe.

Senior Craig Johnson (Medford, OR/South Medford) led Coast Guard with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in addition to seven rebounds, while Fernandes and freshman Theo Jensen (Doylestown, PA/Naval Academy Prep) turned in 13 points apiece. The Bears ended up shooting 52.4 percent but just 11-of-21 on freebies.

The Lyons head to Babson College on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. NEWMAC contest.