Only 34 seconds in, freshman Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) began his career night by knocking down a three-pointer to give the Lyons the lead for good. Senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) helped the visitors etch a 10-point lead just 5:05 into the contest after assisting on Wheaton's first three long-distance shots and knocking down a trey of his own.
With the Lyons up, 27-19, and 9:16 remaining in the opening period, the Blue and White put the game out of reach with a 33-3 run over a 10:36 span that stretched into the second half. Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) hit a free throw less than two minutes into the second stanza to cap the stretch and give Wheaton a 38-point advantage, its largest of the evening.
Pedra netted 11 points during the run, as Wheaton shot 12-of-22 from the field while forcing 11 turnovers and holding the Cougars to 1-of-10 shooting. Over a stretch of nearly 12 minutes, which included the Lyons' decisive run, Clark was held to just one field goal.
Pedra turned in the best performance of his young college career, recording a season-high 26 points in 22 minutes on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. His point total was the highest for a Wheaton freshman since Bill O'Brien '00 also collected 26 on January 18, 1997, and Pedra canned the most three-pointers by a first-year Lyon since Mike Stanton '05 also hit five on February 14, 2002.
Senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) contributed 17 points, four assists and four steals, while Zukowski collected 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Greenslit finished with a career- and game-high six assists in 19 minutes.
Wheaton held a 54-22 advantage at halftime after hitting 60 percent of its shots, including 8-of-13 from three-point range, and finished with a 51.6 percent clip for the game. As a team, the Lyons hit 11-of-20 three-point attempts.
For Clark, senior Cory Szklarz (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter Marian) recorded 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while classmate Tim Dutille (Sunapee, NH/Lebanon) tallied 14 points, seven boards and three blocks. The Cougars were hurt by 25 turnovers, including 15 in the first half.
Wheaton hosts Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Saturday at Emerson Gymnasium in a 2:00 p.m. NEWMAC contest.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs Clark University 1/5/06 7:00 p.m. at Kneller Athletic Center, Worcester, Mass At Kneller Athletic Center, Worcester, Mass WHEATON COLLEGE 90, CLARK UNIVERSITY 65 WHEATON COLLEGE (9-2, 1-0) Kristopher Pedra 9-12 3-4 26; Sean Kelly 6-11 2-4 17; Brian Zukowski 5-10 3-4 15; Ryan McDonough 3-3 1-2 7; Justin Brown 2-5 3-4 7; Eric Johnston 3-7 0-0 6; James Greenslit 2-4 0-0 5; Brent DiGiovanna 0-3 3-4 3; David Harding 1-1 0-0 2; Jake Otto 1-2 0-0 2; Nick Michel 0-2 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-1 0-0 0; Leif Kothe 0-1 0-0 0; Mark Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0; Patrick Youreneff 0-0 0-0 0; Patrick McDonough 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-62 15-22 90. CLARK UNIVERSITY (4-6, 0-1) Cory Szklarz 6-10 3-4 15; Tim Dutille 6-11 2-2 14; Alfred Thomas 4-9 0-0 9; Dominique Beck 4-8 0-1 8; Pat Landers 2-4 3-3 7; Godfrey Duncan 1-4 2-2 4; DJ Brinn 1-2 0-0 3; Peter Normandin 1-3 0-2 3; Bryon Roberts 1-5 0-0 2; Asher Cowan 0-1 0-0 0; Pat Ochoa 0-2 0-0 0; Salvatore DeMarco 0-1 0-0 0; Brian MacDonald 0-1 0-0 0; Nate Savary 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-62 10-14 65. Wheaton College............... 54 36 - 90 Clark University.............. 22 43 - 65 3-point goals-Wheaton College 11-20 (Kristopher Pedra 5-6; Sean Kelly 3-5; Brian Zukowski 2-5; James Greenslit 1-2; Ben Davis 0-1; Justin Brown 0-1), Clark University 3-9 (Peter Normandin 1-1; Alfred Thomas 1-2; DJ Brinn 1-1; Bryon Roberts 0-2; Asher Cowan 0-1; Pat Ochoa 0-1; Dominique Beck 0-1). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, Clark University-Dominique Beck. Rebounds-Wheaton College 29 (Brian Zukowski 5), Clark University 43 (Dominique Beck 7; Tim Dutille 7). Assists-Wheaton College 21 (James Greenslit 6), Clark University 14 (Cory Szklarz 4). Total fouls-Wheaton College 16, Clark University 20. A-450