The Lyons turned an early 7-6 deficit into a 24-9 advantage and never looked back, forcing 26 miscues on the night and holding a 25-10 edge in points off turnovers. The game began with five lead changes and a pair of ties through the first 6:16, but a three-pointer by senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) gave Wheaton a 9-7 edge and a lead that was not relinquished. Six different Lyons scored during Wheaton's run, led by Zukowski's six points, as the visitors maintained a double-figure advantage en route to a 40-27 halftime lead. Sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) knocked down a jumper at the buzzer, as the Lyons carried that momentum into the second half.
The visitors opened the second stanza on an 11-2 run during the first 4:54 of play on the strength of seven points from freshman Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) and four by Zukowski. Fitchburg State never got any closer than 17 points, which included a 58-41 deficit at the 10:16 mark following a lay-up by freshman Mike Woods (Arlington, MA/Arlington Catholic), but an 8-2 Wheaton spurt put the Blue and White back in front by 23, tying its largest lead of the game.
In addition to a solid shooting performance, Wheaton put forward its best defensive showing of the season, holding the Falcons to 35.9 percent shooting and a season-low tying 53 points. Fitchburg State also only shot six free throw attempts compared to the Lyons' 23 shots from the charity stripe. Wheaton went 17-of-23 from the line and 25-of-52 from the field, including a 53.8 percent clip in the opening half. The Lyons also grabbed a season-high tying 16 steals in the win.
Zukowski led Wheaton's shooting charge, going 8-of-14 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe, in addition to corralling a team-high tying five rebounds while handing out three assists. DiGiovanna was the team's only other double-digit scorer with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, as the Lyons had 11 different players break into the scoring column. Kelly finished with nine points, six assists and five steals, while Pedra added eight points and four rebounds in 19 minutes.
Woods paced Fitchburg State with eight points as a reserve, as the Falcons failed to have a player reach double-figuring scoring. Senior Dan Koen (Auburn, MA/Auburn), sophomore Brian Skiffington (North Adams, MA/Hoosac Valley) and freshman Jeff Kozik (Auburn, MA/Auburn) had seven points apiece, while sophomore Peter Uzoma (Boston, MA/Concord-Carlisle) grabbed a game-best 11 rebounds, including six on the offensive glass.
Wheaton finishes its regular season slate with eight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) games, beginning with Saturday afternoon's road game at defending league champion Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 2:00 p.m. The contest will be a rematch of the 2005 conference tournament title game, won by WPI, 64-60.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs Fitchburg State College 1/19/06 5:30 p.m. at Recreation Center, Fitchburg, Mass. At Recreation Center, Fitchburg, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 71, FITCHBURG STATE COLLEGE 53 WHEATON COLLEGE (11-5) Brian Zukowski 8-14 9-11 25; Brent DiGiovanna 6-9 1-2 13; Sean Kelly 3-8 1-3 9; Kristopher Pedra 2-6 3-3 8; Eric Johnston 2-3 0-0 4; Leif Kothe 1-1 0-0 3; James Greenslit 1-4 0-0 2; Patrick Youreneff 0-1 2-2 2; Jake Otto 1-1 0-0 2; Justin Brown 1-4 0-0 2; David Harding 0-0 1-2 1; Mark Sullivan 0-0 0-0 0; Nick Michel 0-1 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-0 0-0 0; Patrick McDonough 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 17-23 71. FITCHBURG STATE COLLEGE (5-9) Mike Woods 4-7 0-0 8; Brian Skiffington 3-7 0-0 7; Dan Koen 3-8 0-0 7; Jeff Kozik 3-9 0-0 7; Nick Smith 2-4 2-3 6; Albert Ortiz 2-6 2-3 6; Andrew Vayo 2-3 0-0 4; Peter Uzoma 2-6 0-0 4; Nate Patterson 1-3 0-0 2; Kyle Lussier 1-1 0-0 2; Colby Donnelly 0-1 0-0 0; Matt Addonizio 0-0 0-0 0; Joe Sabbagh 0-3 0-0 0; Carlos Rosado 0-1 0-0 0; Matt Collins 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 23-64 4-6 53. Wheaton College............... 40 31 - 71 Fitchburg State College....... 27 26 - 53 3-point goals-Wheaton College 4-15 (Sean Kelly 2-3; Leif Kothe 1-1; Kristopher Pedra 1-3; James Greenslit 0-3; Justin Brown 0-2; Eric Johnston 0-1; Brian Zukowski 0-2), Fitchburg State College 3-14 (Brian Skiffington 1-4; Dan Koen 1-1; Jeff Kozik 1-3; Carlos Rosado 0-1; Matt Collins 0-3; Mike Woods 0-2). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, Fitchburg State College-Brian Skiffington. Rebounds-Wheaton College 31 (Eric Johnston 5; Brian Zukowski 5), Fitchburg State College 39 (Peter Uzoma 11). Assists-Wheaton College 12 (Sean Kelly 6), Fitchburg State College 7 (Andrew Vayo 1; Brian Skiffington 1; Joe Sabbagh 1; Albert Ortiz 1; Dan Koen 1; Nick Smith 1; Mike Woods 1). Total fouls-Wheaton College 15, Fitchburg State College 19. A-150