The Lyons capitalized on a plethora of Brandeis turnovers to jump out to a commanding 12-0 cushion and a lead that wouldn't be relinquished. Sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut), who finished the half with an impressive 18 points and four steals, hit a couple of baskets in the opening stretch. Brandeis freshman Rocco Toppi (Portland, ME/Portland) nailed a three-pointer to put the Judges on the board with 16:47 to go. Junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) teamed with Zukowski on defense to grab four steals in the opening stanza.
Brandeis picked up the offense in the middle part of the period, as a dunk by Toppi created a surge that brought the Judges as close as 32-28 with 4:55 to play in the half. Wheaton, however, managed to close out the half on a 13-4 run, capped by Kelly's traditional three-point play with three ticks on the clock to give the Lyons a 45-32 halftime lead.
The Lyons started the second half hot, as treys by senior captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) and freshman Justin Brown (Gorham, ME/Gorham) sparked a 9-0 run to put the Lyons up 54-32. Stanton kept the hot hand for the next few minutes as he drained three more from beyond the arc, pushing the score to 70-52 with 11 minutes left in the game. Brandeis slowly crept back into the contest, using a 14-7 run late in the period to get to within eight points at 81-73, but Zukowski and Kelly hit a series of lay ups and free throws to clinch the win.
Wheaton continued its balanced scoring attack, putting four players in double figures. Stanton used a strong second half to notch 25 points on a 5-of-11 shooting performance from three-point range while grabbing a team-high seven boards. Zukowski had his best offensive night to date with a career-best 21 points (8-16 FG) and game-high tying five steals. Kelly tallied a double-double performance, scoring 17 points while dishing out 11 assists. Freshman Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) rounded out the double-digit scorers with a season-best 16 points.
Leading the way for the Judges was first-year forward Steve DeLuca (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack), as he netted 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Senior captain Bryan Lambert (Auburn, ME/Edward Little) notched a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Freshman Joe Coppens (Rockland, MA/Rockland) scored 13 points and grabbed eight boards in the loss.
The Lyons return to action after the holiday with a non-conference game in Newport, Rhode Island against Salve Regina University on Tuesday, November 30 at 8:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Brandeis University vs Wheaton College 11/23/04 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 93, BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY 78 BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY (1-2) Steve DeLuca 5-8 6-6 16; Bryan Lambert 6-12 1-4 14; Joe Coppens 5-12 2-4 13; Florian Rexhepi 4-15 1-2 9; Rocco Toppi 3-8 2-2 9; John Saucier 1-2 5-6 7; Scott Green 1-1 4-5 6; K. Graves-Fulgham 2-4 0-0 4; Omri Ayalon 0-0 0-0 0; Stephen Hill 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-62 21-29 78. WHEATON COLLEGE (2-1) Mike Stanton 9-18 2-2 25; Brian Zukowski 8-16 4-6 21; Sean Kelly 5-13 7-9 17; Brent DiGiovanna 5-9 6-7 16; Justin Brown 2-4 1-1 6; Mark Ledwell 3-5 0-0 6; Joe Lee 0-0 2-2 2; Nick Fradiani 0-0 0-0 0; Eric Johnston 0-0 0-0 0; James Greenslit 0-4 0-2 0; Jake Otto 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-69 22-29 93. Brandeis University........... 32 46 - 78 Wheaton College............... 45 48 - 93 3-point goals-Brandeis University 3-18 (Rocco Toppi 1-4; Joe Coppens 1-7; Bryan Lambert 1-4; K. Graves-Fulgham 0-1; Florian Rexhepi 0-2), Wheaton College 7-20 (Mike Stanton 5-11; Justin Brown 1-2; Brian Zukowski 1-4; James Greenslit 0-2; Sean Kelly 0-1). Fouled out--Brandeis University-Florian Rexhepi; K. Graves-Fulgham; Steve DeLuca, Wheaton College-Mark Ledwell. Rebounds-Brandeis University 41 (Bryan Lambert 10), Wheaton College 36 (Mike Stanton 7). Assists-Brandeis University 14 (Steve DeLuca 3; Florian Rexhepi 3; Bryan Lambert 3; Joe Coppens 3), Wheaton College 20 (Sean Kelly 11). Total fouls-Brandeis University 28, Wheaton College 18. A-250