Despite the loss, Fitchburg State forward Rashad Cope (Roxbury, MA/Snowden) had a memorable night, becoming the 21st player in school history to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
Wheaton sprinted out to a 7-2 lead in tonight's early minutes, but the Falcons responded and used a 14-2 run to take a 16-9 advantage with 14:44 remaining. The Lyons bounced back to knot the score at 16 with 12:14 to play after freshman Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) buried a three-point shot.
The two teams then traded buckets in a stanza that saw seven lead changes, but Wheaton eventually went on a 9-0 spurt to extend its lead to 30-22 with 4:18 remaining. Fitchburg State got to within six, but the hosts finished the half strong, as sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) scored six of his 12 first-half points down the stretch to give the Lyons a comfortable 40-31 lead at the intermission.
The Falcons stayed close in the second stanza and narrowed their gap to four on two occasions early, with the latter at 45-41 with 17:26 left. Fitchburg State brought the deficit to three at 52-49 with less than 14 minutes remaining and eventually tied the game shortly thereafter on a three-point basket by senior Dan Largesse (Sutton, MA/Sutton). The Falcons were unable to take the lead, however, as the Lyons outscored Fitchburg, 18-6 over a five-minute span for a 70-58 advantage. The Lyons led by as many as 14 points with 6:48 remaining, as the Falcons would get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Zukowski led Wheaton offensively with a career-high tying 23 points (7-12 FG, 4-6 3-pt FG). Senior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) reeled off 17 second-half points and finished with season-high totals of 19 points and six assists. Johnston added 11 points, while senior Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) pulled down a career-high tying nine rebounds to go with his seven points.
Cope, who reached the 1,000-point plateau on a free throw with 55 seconds to play, finished with a team-high 18 points (7-13 FG), six rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Nick Smith (Leominster, MA/Leominster) tied his career high with 17 points (7-12 FG), while reserve freshman Brian Skiffington (North Adams, MA/Hoosac Valley) posted a career-best 14 points (5-6 FG, 3-3 3-pt FG). Senior Jim Prignano (West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 12 points (6-11 FG).
Wheaton returns to the hardwood on Saturday, January 22 for a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) home game against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 3:00 p.m. Both Wheaton and WPI enter the contest unbeaten in conference play, as the Lyons will look to break their all-time consecutive win streak.
Newspaper Box Score Fitchburg State College vs Wheaton College 1/20/05 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 86, FITCHBURG STATE COLLEGE 74 FITCHBURG STATE COLLEGE (2-12) Rashad Cope 7-13 4-9 18; Nick Smith 7-12 3-6 17; Brian Skiffington 5-6 1-1 14; Jim Prignano 6-11 0-0 12; Dan Largesse 3-6 0-0 8; Matt Collins 1-5 0-0 3; Peter Uzoma 1-6 0-1 2; Dan Koen 0-1 0-0 0; Adam DiZuzio 0-2 0-0 0; Brian Torres 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 30-65 8-17 74. WHEATON COLLEGE (13-2) Brian Zukowski 7-12 5-6 23; Josean Vega 6-14 6-8 19; Eric Johnston 4-9 2-2 11; Sean Kelly 4-9 0-5 9; Brent DiGiovanna 1-6 5-6 7; Mark Ledwell 3-5 1-1 7; Mike Stanton 3-10 0-0 7; David Harding 0-0 2-2 2; Justin Brown 0-0 1-2 1; Jake Otto 0-0 0-0 0; James Greenslit 0-2 0-1 0. Totals 28-67 22-33 86. Fitchburg State College....... 31 43 - 74 Wheaton College............... 40 46 - 86 3-point goals-Fitchburg State College 6-22 (Brian Skiffington 3-3; Dan Largesse 2-5; Matt Collins 1-5; Peter Uzoma 0-1; Dan Koen 0-1; Brian Torres 0-3; Jim Prignano 0-3; Rashad Cope 0-1), Wheaton College 8-23 (Brian Zukowski 4-6; Eric Johnston 1-2; Sean Kelly 1-3; Josean Vega 1-4; Mike Stanton 1-6; James Greenslit 0-2). Fouled out--Fitchburg State College-Dan Largesse, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Fitchburg State College 39 (Jim Prignano 9), Wheaton College 44 (Mark Ledwell 9). Assists-Fitchburg State College 17 (Dan Largesse 6), Wheaton College 12 (Josean Vega 6). Total fouls-Fitchburg State College 26, Wheaton College 17. A-215