A day after breaking the Wheaton career steals record, senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) was named most valuable player of the tournament, joining junior teammate Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) on the all-tournament team.
The opening half was tight as indicated by the five lead changes. A Zukowski three-pointer gave the Lyons an early 9-4 advantage, but the lead proved to be short-lived following a dunk by junior John Weir (Danbury, CT/Danbury) with 15:13 to play. A Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) three highlighted an 11-2 Wheaton run midway through the period that helped move the Lyons ahead, 23-19.
The lead vanished quickly, however, as junior Kinsey Durgin (Greenwood, ME/Telstar Regional) nailed a trey and freshman Kaseem Johnson (New Haven, CT/Hillhouse) sank a jumper to give the guests a slim lead that would hold the rest of the half. Wheaton senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) hit a trey with under a minute to go, but Johnson dunked the final bucket of the half and helped the Anchormen to a 44-39 edge.
Things looked grim for the hosts in the early going of the second half, as the Anchormen stretched their lead to eight on a Durgin three-pointer with 14:21 to go. Kelly responded with a lay-up and eventually converted a four-point play, setting the stage for sophomore David Harding's (Hanover, MA/Boston College) lay-in at 12:03 and Wheaton's first lead in over 19 minutes of regulation. The lead shifted back to RIC thanks to a Davon Yarbrough (New Haven, CT/Hyde) conventional three-point play, and the visitors extended their advantage to nine points at 78-69 with 4:42 to play.
After a Zukowski bucket, Harding rattled off five straight points to bring the Lyons to within two and consecutive clutch threes from Kelly and Greenslit put the hosts in front for good with just under a minute to play. Sophomore Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) hit two free throws on the ensuing possession to cap a 15-0 Wheaton run and seal the comeback win.
Kelly's 21 points, eight assists and five steals were all game-high or game-high tying totals, as he was followed by Zukowski's 16 points on the afternoon. Greenslit was 3-of-4 from long range, joining Johnston and Harding with 11 points apiece. Wheaton's defense was also a key component of the game, as the Lyons collectively totaled 16 steals on the night.
Durgin notched 21 points for the Anchormen, while senior Kevin Payette (Woonsocket, RI/Woonsocket) grabbed eight boards and was 7-of-12 from the floor for 18 points. Johnson added 11 points and seven boards in the loss.
In the consolation game, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) used a strong second half to top Mount Ida College, 90-79. In the first half, the Trailblazers rode the strong shooting of seniors Thad Broughton (Peabody, MA/Saint Mary's) and Adam Garner (North Adams, MA/Drury), who tallied nine treys between them and accounted for 35 of the team's 43 first-half points. MCLA held the biggest lead of the half at 31-20, but Mount Ida slowly closed the gap thanks in large part to Scott Chamberlain's (Millis, MA/Millis) 15 points in the first stanza. A Gino Dipietro (Westbrook, ME/Westbrook) three-pointer at the buzzer brought the Mount Ida deficit to five at the half.
Senior Matt McGaughran (Taunton, MA/Coyle & Cassidy) started the second half off with a trey to trim the deficit to two, but that would be as close as the Mustangs would get. MCLA put together a 24-10 run over the next eight minutes, highlighted by back-to-back threes from senior Brian Phillips (Weymouth, MA/Weymouth), to put the game out of reach.
Broughton drained five treys en route to tallying a game-best 29 points, with Garner on his heels with 28 points via a 9-of-14 shooting day. Phillips finished with 12 points, while sophomore Brandon Pender (Queens, NY/Lawrence Woodmere Academy) grabbed a game-best 10 boards. For the Mustangs, Chamberlain was 7-of-11 from the field for 20 points and freshman Andy McCoo (Penacook, NH/Merrimack Valley) led a trio of nine-point scorers while adding nine boards.
In addition to Kelly's and Zukowski's selections following the championship game, the remaining players on the all-tournament team were Rhode Island College's Payette, MCLA's Garner and Mount Ida's Chamberlain.
Newspaper Box Score Rhode Island College vs Wheaton College 11/19/05 4:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 87, RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE 82 RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE (1-1) Kinsey Durgin 9-18 0-1 21; Kevin Payette 7-12 3-3 18; Kaseem Johnson 5-8 1-1 11; Davon Yarbrough 3-10 3-3 9; Kamari Williams 4-8 0-2 9; John Weir 3-4 0-0 6; Brian Stanko 2-3 1-3 5; Tirrell Hill 1-2 0-0 3; Benjy Nichols 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 34-67 8-13 82. WHEATON COLLEGE (2-0) Sean Kelly 8-10 2-3 21; Brian Zukowski 6-17 3-5 16; Eric Johnston 4-7 2-2 11; David Harding 3-3 5-6 11; James Greenslit 4-5 0-0 11; Brent DiGiovanna 2-5 2-3 6; Patrick McDonough 2-5 0-1 4; Kristopher Pedra 1-4 0-0 3; Justin Brown 1-4 0-0 2; Jake Otto 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 32-63 14-20 87. Rhode Island College.......... 44 38 - 82 Wheaton College............... 39 48 - 87 3-point goals-Rhode Island College 6-21 (Kinsey Durgin 3-8; Kamari Williams 1-4; Kevin Payette 1-2; Tirrell Hill 1-2; Brian Stanko 0-1; Benjy Nichols 0-1; Davon Yarbrough 0-3), Wheaton College 9-29 (Sean Kelly 3-4; James Greenslit 3-4; Kristopher Pedra 1-4; Eric Johnston 1-2; Brian Zukowski 1-9; Justin Brown 0-3; Patrick McDonough 0-3). Fouled out--Rhode Island College-None, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Rhode Island College 44 (Kevin Payette 8; Brian Stanko 8), Wheaton College 24 (Brent DiGiovanna 5). Assists-Rhode Island College 11 (Kinsey Durgin 3; Kamari Williams 3), Wheaton College 16 (Sean Kelly 8). Total fouls-Rhode Island College 23, Wheaton College 13. A-315