The Hawks started the game strong, as freshman Daniel Gumb (Patterson, NY/Kennedy Catholic) nailed a trey to give Roger Williams the early 3-0 lead. The Lyons responded with a three of their own from senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy), who accounted for a team-best eight first-half points. The Hawks temporarily regained the lead thanks to a jumper and a free throw by sophomore Brandon Parrish (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln) with 15:42 to play, but sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) proceeded to sink consecutive baskets to put the Lyons in front for good. A 15-5 run midway through the half helped propel Wheaton to a 32-24 advantage at the half.
After both teams traded baskets to begin the second stanza, Roger Williams' Chris Cormier (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull) lifted the visitors with 13 straight points, including three buckets from three-point range, to bring the Hawks to 42-37 with 13:31 remaining. A Gumb conventional three-point play and another Cormier trey brought Roger Williams to within one point at 56-55 with five minutes left in regulation. Stanton and junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) combined for a quick five points for the hosts, but the Hawks drained back-to-back shots to trail 61-59 with 1:25 on the clock. After a missed Wheaton jumper, Roger Williams found itself with the final possession. Despite missing a three-pointer with 30 ticks left, the Hawks grabbed the rebound and Gumb eventually found junior Andrew Viana (Bristol, RI/Bishop Connelly) in the paint for a lay up with eight-tenths of a second remaining to force the overtime.
Zukowski put the Lyons up early in the extra session with a lay up, but it was junior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) that ignited Wheaton's overtime charge. Greenslit started the stanza with a key block and later followed Zukowski's bucket with a three-pointer to put the hosts up 66-61 with just over three minutes to play. Off of the ensuing in-bounds pass, Greenslit intercepted a pass and eventually took a charge on the Hawks' next possession. Greenslit capped his streak with a easy two off of a give-and-go from senior tri-captain Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional). Zukowski finally sealed the win at the charity stripe, going 4-of-4 in the closing seconds to secure the five-point victory.
Stanton's five three's gave him a game-high tying 18 points to go alongside his eight rebounds. Zukowski turned in a 16-point performance and stole a career-best six passes, while Kelly recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Kelly's 10 helpers moved him into sole possession of second place on Wheaton's all-time assists list, passing Arnulfo DeLaCruz '00 with 268 assists. Greenslit added 11 boards.
Cormier led the Hawks with all 18 of his points coming in the second half, including four three- pointers and a flawless 4-of-4 performance from the free throw line. Viana notched a double-double with 16 points (8-11 FG) and 10 rebounds. Junior Ryan Keaton (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) recorded seven steals, seven points and six assists, while Parrish added seven points and a team-high tying 10 boards.
Wheaton closes out the calendar year with a non-conference game against local rival Bridgewater State College on Saturday, December 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Roger Williams University vs Wheaton College 12/9/04 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 72, ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY 67 ROGER WILLIAMS UNIVERSITY (1-5) Chris Cormier 5-12 4-4 18; Andrew Viana 8-11 0-0 16; Daniel Gumb 2-6 4-6 9; Ben Camobreco 3-5 0-0 8; Brandon Parrish 3-11 1-3 7; Ryan Keaton 3-13 1-2 7; Brian Scharrenweber 1-5 0-0 2; Geoff Baranger 0-4 0-0 0; Steve Morris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-67 10-15 67. WHEATON COLLEGE (6-2) Mike Stanton 5-16 3-4 18; Brian Zukowski 6-14 4-4 16; Sean Kelly 6-11 0-2 12; Brent DiGiovanna 4-9 0-1 8; Eric Johnston 3-5 0-0 6; James Greenslit 2-6 0-0 5; Mark Ledwell 2-8 0-2 4; Justin Brown 1-2 0-0 3; Jake Otto 0-1 0-0 0; Brian Cerone 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 29-72 7-15 72. Roger Williams University..... 24 37 6 - 67 Wheaton College............... 32 29 11 - 72 3-point goals-Roger Williams University 7-23 (Chris Cormier 4-9; Ben Camobreco 2-3; Daniel Gumb 1-4; Ryan Keaton 0-5; Brian Scharrenweber 0-1; Brandon Parrish 0-1), Wheaton College 7-26 (Mike Stanton 5-13; James Greenslit 1-4; Justin Brown 1-2; Sean Kelly 0-2; Brian Zukowski 0-5). Fouled out--Roger Williams University-Ryan Keaton, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Roger Williams University 45 (Andrew Viana 10; Brandon Parrish 10), Wheaton College 46 (James Greenslit 11). Assists-Roger Williams University 15 (Ryan Keaton 6), Wheaton College 17 (Sean Kelly 10). Total fouls-Roger Williams University 16, Wheaton College 14. A-200