Wheaton tied the school's all-time win mark with its 20th victory of the season, matching the 1992-93 team for most wins in a single season. That team posted a 20-5 record and made it to the semifinal round of the ECAC Tournament. Improving to 20-9 overall, this year's Lyons will look to capture their highest win total in the 16-year history of the program in tomorrow's championship game at Wheaton against fourth seed Rhode Island College at 7:00 p.m. The Anchormen defeated top seed Colby-Sawyer College, 81-79 in New London, New Hampshire earlier tonight. Western New England finishes the year with a mark of 18-10.
The Lyons exploded for 16 of the game's opening 18 points in the first five minutes of play and never looked back, maintaining a double-digit advantage the rest of the way. Wheaton caught fire offensively from the outset, converting six of its first seven shots including four consecutive three-point buckets. Senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy), who moved into sixth place on Wheaton's all-time scoring list with 15 points in the first half alone, and sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) drained two treys apiece during that run.
The Golden Bears kept the deficit at 14 points until the 11 minute mark, when the Lyons began a 19-6 run to take a commanding 43-16 lead with 5:01 remaining. The hosts led by as many as 28 points in the opening half and eventually went into the intermission with a 49-23 cushion. Stanton made 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from three-point land, while Zukowski and senior tri-captain Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) each knocked down a trio of three-pointers for nine points apiece. Wheaton shot an impressive 57.6 percent (19-33 FG) from the floor and a blistering 56.3 percent (9-16 3-pt FG) from long range. Western New England went 7-of-25 (.280) overall and 1-of-6 (.167) from three-point territory.
A total of 12 Wheaton players scored on the night, led by Vega's team-best 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 5-of-10 from three-point range, while Stanton finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Stanton's three three-pointers move him into second place on the school's charts for most threes in a season. Zukowski chipped in with 13 points (4-6 FG, 3-5 3-pt FG), while freshman Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) rounded out the double-figure scoring with a season-best 10 points in 12 minutes. Junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) added a game-high five assists, team-best six rebounds and game-high tying three steals. His steal total pushed him into second place on Wheaton's all-time steals list with 164.
Western New England junior co-captain Jon Godbout (Bristol, CT/St. Paul), who entered tonight's game needing 28 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone, amassed a game-best 24 points. Senior co-captain Anthony Charbatji (Attleboro, MA/Attleboro) accounted for 12 points, while sophomore Jim Bayne (Bristol, CT/Bristol Central) added eight points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Newspaper Box Score Western New England College vs Wheaton College 3/4/05 7:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 85, WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE 62 WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE (18-10) Jon Godbout 8-18 6-8 24; Anthony Charbatji 5-12 1-2 12; Jim Bayne 4-8 0-0 8; Asif Abdul-Wadud 2-5 0-0 4; Matt Gigliello 1-2 2-3 4; Deon Thomas 2-2 0-3 4; Mike Cutler 0-2 2-2 2; Ryan Hernandez 1-3 0-0 2; Malik Champlain 1-6 0-0 2; Tristan Young 0-2 0-0 0; Riley Houk 0-1 0-0 0; Jason Cardinal 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-62 11-18 62. WHEATON COLLEGE (20-9) Josean Vega 7-14 0-0 19; Mike Stanton 6-12 0-0 15; Brian Zukowski 4-6 2-2 13; Jake Otto 2-2 6-9 10; Eric Johnston 3-5 0-1 6; Mark Ledwell 2-4 1-4 5; Brent DiGiovanna 2-2 0-0 4; Sean Kelly 2-6 0-2 4; James Greenslit 1-2 0-0 3; Justin Brown 1-4 1-1 3; Joe Lee 0-0 2-2 2; Brian Cerone 0-2 1-2 1; David Harding 0-0 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-0 0-0 0; Nick Fradiani 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-59 13-23 85. Western New England College... 23 39 - 62 Wheaton College............... 49 36 - 85 3-point goals-Western New England College 3-16 (Jon Godbout 2-6; Anthony Charbatji 1-4; Asif Abdul-Wadud 0-2; Matt Gigliello 0-1; Mike Cutler 0-1; Ryan Hernandez 0-1; Jim Bayne 0-1), Wheaton College 12-29 (Josean Vega 5-10; Brian Zukowski 3-5; Mike Stanton 3-7; James Greenslit 1-2; Sean Kelly 0-1; Justin Brown 0-2; Brian Cerone 0-1; Mark Ledwell 0-1). Fouled out--Western New England College-None, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Western New England College 37 (Jim Bayne 9), Wheaton College 36 (Sean Kelly 6). Assists-Western New England College 6 (Asif Abdul-Wadud 3), Wheaton College 17 (Sean Kelly 5). Total fouls-Western New England College 22, Wheaton College 17. A-335 ECAC Tournament Semifinal Round Game