Springfield senior Derek Yvon (East Longmeadow, MA/Cathedral) hit a three-pointer to give the visitors a 7-6 lead at 17:25 of the opening half, but Wheaton junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) helped the Lyons turn the game around by assisting on senior James Greenslit's (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) go-ahead basket and scoring Wheaton's next seven points for a 15-8 advantage. After sophomore Jamaal Gibbs (Norwalk, CT/McMahon) hit a lay-up to draw the Pride within 17-16, Zukowski led Wheaton on a 16-4 charge over the next 4:29, during which he contributed five points and three assists, including helpers on three-pointers by Greenslit and freshman Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon).
During the final two minutes of the half, senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) made an acrobatic hoop in the lane and a pair of free throws to help the Lyons cushion their lead, but Springfield junior Damian Farley (Natick, MA/Natick) hit a jumper at the buzzer to keep it a 10-point game.
Zukowski displayed a balanced all-around game during the opening 20 minutes, hitting 7-of-9 shots for 16 points while adding six rebounds and four assists. As a team, the Lyons shot 57.6 percent from the field while canning four three-pointers. Farley kept pace for the Pride, cashing in with 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting.
The Lyons led by as many as 16 points in the early going of the second period, but Pride junior Anthony Pizzo (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the Blue and White's lead to 10 at 13:34. From there, Wheaton sophomore Eric Johnston (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) took over, scoring nine straight points during a span of 2:01 by converting a jumper, a three-point play, a long outlet pass from Kelly, and a lay-up while gliding through the lane to make it 67-50 at 10:48.
Zukowski led all scorers by recording his second 20-point game of the season with 22 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes. The junior guard knocked down 9-of-15 shots, including 7-of-8 from within the arc. Pedra and Johnston each finished with 11 points, as Johnston went 5-of-6 from the floor, while Kelly nearly had a triple-double with 10 points, eight assists and seven boards, as well as three steals. Freshman Ryan McDonough (Holliston, MA/Tilton School) netted a season-high nine points.
Springfield was led by Farley, who posted 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting and added seven rebounds. Yvon tallied 17 points, and Gibbs finished with 10.
The Lyons play four of their next five games away from home, beginning with Saturday's NEWMAC contest at United States Coast Guard Academy at 1:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Springfield College vs Wheaton College 1/10/06 7:30 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 83, SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE 63 SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE (4-10, 0-2) Damian Farley 8-13 3-3 19; Derek Yvon 8-19 0-0 17; Jamaal Gibbs 4-6 1-4 10; Brian Riley 2-7 2-2 6; Anthony Pizzo 1-5 3-4 5; Jim Mack 2-4 0-0 4; Joel Aponte 1-2 0-0 2; Gregg Daly 0-3 0-0 0; Christopher Finn 0-1 0-0 0; Dan White 0-0 0-0 0; John Strawson 0-1 0-0 0; Zachary Mitzan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 26-63 9-13 63. WHEATON COLLEGE (10-3, 2-1) Brian Zukowski 9-15 2-2 22; Kristopher Pedra 4-8 2-4 11; Eric Johnston 5-6 1-2 11; Sean Kelly 4-10 2-5 10; Ryan McDonough 3-5 3-5 9; Brent DiGiovanna 4-5 0-0 8; James Greenslit 2-6 0-0 5; Justin Brown 1-1 2-2 5; Jake Otto 1-1 0-0 2; Nick Michel 0-1 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-0 0-0 0; David Harding 0-1 0-0 0; Leif Kothe 0-0 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 33-59 12-20 83. Springfield College........... 35 28 - 63 Wheaton College............... 45 38 - 83 3-point goals-Springfield College 2-11 (Derek Yvon 1-5; Jamaal Gibbs 1-1; Anthony Pizzo 0-3; Jim Mack 0-2), Wheaton College 5-15 (Brian Zukowski 2-7; James Greenslit 1-2; Kristopher Pedra 1-4; Justin Brown 1-1; Sean Kelly 0-1). Fouled out--Springfield College-None, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Springfield College 35 (Damian Farley 7), Wheaton College 34 (Brian Zukowski 8). Assists-Springfield College 12 (Anthony Pizzo 4), Wheaton College 17 (Sean Kelly 8). Total fouls-Springfield College 15, Wheaton College 13. A-235