Wheaton led from start to finish in the first half of play, but Camel freshman Charles Stone (Hackensack, NJ/Hotchkiss School) kept the hosts close with a jumper four minutes into the contest. The Lyons then quickly turned an 8-7 lead into a 14-7 advantage on the strength of back-to-back three-point baskets from sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) and junior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School).
Stone narrowed his team's margin to 14-9 with 14:35 to play, but Wheaton used a 15-4 run over the next six minutes to build an impressive 29-13 lead. The Camels cut their deficit to nine on two occasions, but five straight points from Zukowski put the Lyons back into a commanding lead at the half.
In the second stanza, Connecticut College outscored the Lyons, 17-6 in the first 10 minutes of play to post its first and only tie of the game, but Wheaton responded and used an 11-0 run of its own to regain its double-digit lead at 57-46 with 7:16 remaining. Junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) and DiGiovanna combined for nine points during that spurt. Stone made it 57-48 with under seven minutes to play, but three straight Wheaton baskets put the game out of reach.
Wheaton's backcourt consisting of Kelly and Zukowski paced the Lyon offense with 19 and 15 points, respectively. Sinking 7-of-13 shots from the field, Kelly also dished out a game-best eight assists, grabbed a team-high tying seven rebounds and accounted for a game-best four steals. Zukowski pulled down seven boards, while DiGiovanna posted 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Senior tri-captain's Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) and Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) rounded out a balanced scoring attack with eight points apiece.
Stone registered the game's lone double-double performance with 26 points (13-19 FG) and 11 rebounds, while freshman Jeff Young (East Hartford, CT/East Hartford) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points. Sophomore Sokol Zejnullahu (Peja, Kosovo/Northfield Mount Hermon) had seven points and nine rebounds, while classmate Jahkeen Washington (New York, NY/Frederick Douglass Academy) added a team-best seven assists and six rebounds.
The Lyons will make their return to Emerson Gymnasium for two remaining home games this week, beginning with Thursday's non-conference game against Roger Williams University at 7:00 p.m. Wheaton finishes it first semester of play on Saturday, December 11 against local rival Bridgewater State College at 3:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs Connecticut College 12/7/04 7:00 p.m. at New London, Conn. At New London, Conn. WHEATON COLLEGE 77, CONNECTICUT COLLEGE 67 WHEATON COLLEGE (5-2) Sean Kelly 7-13 4-6 19; Brian Zukowski 5-11 2-4 15; Brent DiGiovanna 4-6 2-2 10; Mark Ledwell 3-7 2-2 8; Mike Stanton 4-10 0-1 8; Eric Johnston 1-5 3-4 5; James Greenslit 2-6 0-0 5; Jake Otto 2-3 0-2 4; Nick Fradiani 0-0 2-2 2; Justin Brown 0-0 1-2 1; Joe Lee 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-61 16-25 77. CONNECTICUT COLLEGE (0-6) Charles Stone 13-19 0-2 26; Jeff Young 4-12 0-0 11; Malik Brown 3-7 2-2 8; Sokol Zejnullahu 3-12 1-2 7; Gabe Patton 1-1 0-0 3; Jahkeen Washington 1-4 1-2 3; Derek Kelly 1-2 0-0 3; Zak Harris 1-4 0-0 2; David Greenidge 1-4 0-0 2; Eli Manna 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 29-66 4-8 67. Wheaton College............... 40 37 - 77 Connecticut College........... 29 38 - 67 3-point goals-Wheaton College 5-15 (Brian Zukowski 3-6; James Greenslit 1-4; Sean Kelly 1-2; Mike Stanton 0-3), Connecticut College 5-16 (Jeff Young 3-7; Gabe Patton 1-1; Derek Kelly 1-2; David Greenidge 0-3; Sokol Zejnullahu 0-1; Malik Brown 0-2). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, Connecticut College-Gabe Patton. Rebounds-Wheaton College 36 (Sean Kelly 7; Brian Zukowski 7; Mike Stanton 7), Connecticut College 42 (Charles Stone 11). Assists-Wheaton College 21 (Sean Kelly 8), Connecticut College 21 (Jahkeen Washington 7). Total fouls-Wheaton College 10, Connecticut College 21. A-150