Springfield jumped out to an early 9-0 lead before stretching its advantage to as much as 26-7 with just 7:50 gone, thanks in part to the Pride's long-distance game. During a 2:59 stretch over that time, the hosts canned 5-of-5 three-point attempts to begin pulling away. The closest Wheaton came was 32-18 on junior Brian Zukowski's (Dracut, MA/Dracut) lay-in with 6:41 remaining in the half, as the Pride held a 44-22 lead at intermission. The hosts shot 17-of-34 during the opening stanza while hitting 8-of-13 three-point attempts. The Lyons shot 8-of-23 overall in the period.
The second half saw Wheaton attempt a comeback behind 7-of-16 shooting from three-point range and a 45.5 percent clip overall. However, Springfield maintained its prowess from the field, once again knocking down exactly half of its shots by going 16-of-32. The Pride led by as many as 29 points on senior Derek Yvon's (East Longmeadow, MA/Cathedral) fast-break hoop at 11:14 to make it 66-37, but the Blue and White whittled its deficit back down to less than 20 points twice during the final 37 seconds of regulation.
Zukowski finished with team highs of 16 points and eight rebounds, while senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) netted 11 points and four assists. Freshman Leif Kothe (Paris, ME/Oxford Hills Comprehensive) came off the bench to net a season-high eight points. The Lyons tied their season high with 29 three-point attempts, knocking down nine.
Springfield went 33-of-66 from the floor during the contest and helped its cause by canning 9-of-10 free throw attempts. Yvon led the offensive charge with 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, while senior Brian Riley (Worcester, MA/Saint Mary's) turned in a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, as well as six assists and no turnovers. Classmate Mike DeCesar (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxborough Regional) added 11 points.
The Lyons finish their regular season slate with a three-game home stand beginning on Tuesday against nationally-ranked Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Wheaton's showdown with the 15th-ranked Engineers begins at 7:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs Springfield College 2/4/06 8:00 p.m. at Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass. At Blake Arena, Springfield, Mass. SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE 84, WHEATON COLLEGE 65 WHEATON COLLEGE (13-8, 4-5) Brian Zukowski 5-14 4-7 16; Sean Kelly 4-7 1-4 11; Leif Kothe 3-5 0-0 8; Jake Otto 3-6 1-2 7; Kristopher Pedra 2-5 1-1 6; Patrick Youreneff 2-2 1-2 6; Brent DiGiovanna 2-4 0-0 4; Mark Sullivan 1-2 0-0 3; Justin Brown 1-2 0-0 2; James Greenslit 0-4 2-2 2; David Harding 0-1 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-0 0-0 0; Nick Michel 0-1 0-0 0; Eric Johnston 0-2 0-0 0; Patrick McDonough 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-56 10-18 65. SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE (8-13, 3-5) Derek Yvon 12-21 3-3 32; Brian Riley 6-11 2-2 14; Mike DeCesar 4-8 0-0 11; Gregg Daly 4-5 0-1 8; Anthony Pizzo 3-8 0-0 7; Jim Mack 3-5 0-0 6; Damian Farley 0-6 4-4 4; Zachary Mitzan 1-1 0-0 2; Nick Giampetruzzi 0-1 0-0 0; Dan White 0-0 0-0 0; John Strawson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 33-66 9-10 84. Wheaton College............... 22 43 - 65 Springfield College........... 44 40 - 84 3-point goals-Wheaton College 9-29 (Sean Kelly 2-4; Brian Zukowski 2-7; Leif Kothe 2-3; Mark Sullivan 1-2; Patrick Youreneff 1-1; Kristopher Pedra 1-4; Eric Johnston 0-2; Patrick McDonough 0-1; James Greenslit 0-4; Justin Brown 0-1), Springfield College 9-21 (Derek Yvon 5-9; Mike DeCesar 3-3; Anthony Pizzo 1-4; Jim Mack 0-1; Damian Farley 0-3; Gregg Daly 0-1). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, Springfield College-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 31 (Brian Zukowski 8), Springfield College 40 (Brian Riley 10). Assists-Wheaton College 16 (Sean Kelly 4), Springfield College 21 (Brian Riley 6; Anthony Pizzo 6). Total fouls-Wheaton College 13, Springfield College 15. A-330