Tying its second-highest win total in the 16-year history of the program, Wheaton will host number-seven seed Western New England College in its third straight semifinal round contest on Friday, March 4 or Saturday, March 5. Date and time will be determined by the ECAC tomorrow morning. Western New England upset second seed Plymouth State University, 70-68 earlier tonight. Winners in four of their last five games, the Lyons raise their overall record to 19-9, while Emerson finishes its season at 17-11.
Emerson took an early 6-2 lead thanks in part to a three-point bucket from freshman Will Dawkins (Springfield, MA/Commerce). Wheaton responded with a 12-3 run to capture a 14-9 advantage and a lead that would not be relinquished. Senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy), who moved into sole possession of seventh place on Wheaton's all-time scoring list with 18 points tonight, and sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) knocked down back-to-back treys during that stretch.
Dawkins made it a three-point game with a jumper with 11:29 remaining, but after that the Lyons began to find a groove, outscoring the visiting Lions, 27-8 for a commanding 41-19 advantage with 3:31 on the clock. Wheaton eventually carried a comfortable 48-27 lead into the locker room, as the Lyons had an impressive three players in double-figure scoring at the half. Senior tri-captain Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) led the way with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Stanton and Zukowski had 12 and 10 points, respectively. Dawkins paced Emerson with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field.
The hosts opened the second stanza with a 12-5 run to capture a 60-32 advantage with 16:15 to play. The Lions made things interesting midway through the half, using a 23-8 run to bring their deficit to 13 with 8:39 remaining, but following a Wheaton timeout the Lyons reeled off six unanswered points and never looked back. Wheaton posted a season-high 24 assists as a team while committing only 10 turnovers. The Lyons also amassed 14 steals, forcing Emerson to turn the ball over 26 times.
Wheaton had four of its starters in double-figure scoring, led by Vega's 19 points and game-high five steals. Stanton registered 18 points and a team-high tying eight rebounds, while junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) turned in an all-around solid performance with 16 points (6-9 FG), a season-high tying eight rebounds and seven assists. Zukowski added 15 points, four assists and four steals.
Dawkins paced the Lions with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while senior Graham Stephen (Boston, MA/Masconomet) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points (5-10 FG). Senior tri-captain Daniel Zinchuk (Bethel, ME/Telstar) nearly had a double-double performance with eight points and a game-best 12 rebounds.
Newspaper Box Score Emerson College vs Wheaton College 3/2/05 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 91, EMERSON COLLEGE 63 EMERSON COLLEGE (17-11) Will Dawkins 7-13 4-5 21; Graham Stephen 5-10 0-0 11; Daniel Zinchuk 4-6 0-1 8; Ryan Shibley 3-10 0-0 7; Fredo Tovar 2-7 0-0 5; Steve Georgoulis 2-6 1-1 5; Collin DelCuore 2-3 0-0 4; Jordan Swenton 1-1 0-0 2; Dan Pearl 0-0 0-0 0; Ben Chase 0-0 0-0 0; Dan Pearl 0-0 0-0 0; Jay O'Connell 0-0 0-0 0; Keyon Hodges 0-1 0-0 0; David Miller 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 5-7 63. WHEATON COLLEGE (19-9) Josean Vega 9-19 1-4 19; Mike Stanton 8-16 0-1 18; Sean Kelly 6-9 3-6 16; Brian Zukowski 5-8 3-4 15; Mark Ledwell 3-6 0-0 6; Jake Otto 3-4 0-0 6; Brent DiGiovanna 2-2 0-0 4; Justin Brown 1-2 0-0 3; Brian Cerone 1-1 0-0 2; Eric Johnston 1-2 0-0 2; David Harding 0-1 0-0 0; James Greenslit 0-0 0-0 0; Joe Lee 0-1 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-3 0-0 0; Nick Fradiani 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 39-75 7-15 91. Emerson College............... 27 36 - 63 Wheaton College............... 48 43 - 91 3-point goals-Emerson College 6-16 (Will Dawkins 3-6; Ryan Shibley 1-3; Graham Stephen 1-3; Fredo Tovar 1-3; Collin DelCuore 0-1), Wheaton College 6-21 (Mike Stanton 2-6; Brian Zukowski 2-4; Justin Brown 1-2; Sean Kelly 1-2; Eric Johnston 0-1; Joe Lee 0-1; Ben Davis 0-2; Josean Vega 0-3). Fouled out--Emerson College-None, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Emerson College 36 (Daniel Zinchuk 12), Wheaton College 39 (Sean Kelly 8; Mike Stanton 8). Assists-Emerson College 15 (Daniel Zinchuk 4), Wheaton College 24 (Sean Kelly 7). Total fouls-Emerson College 20, Wheaton College 12. A-250