Wheaton took an 8-0 advantage thanks to five points from sophomore Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) and classmate Eric Johnston's (South Windsor, CT/East Catholic) trey, but Clark senior Cory Szklarz (Worcester, MA/Saint Peter Marian) got the Cougars on the board with a four-point play and eventually scored his team's first eight points. Wheaton held a 32-23 advantage following senior James Greenslit's (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) three-pointer, but Szklarz rattled off six straight points to make the score 32-29 with 6:56 to go in the half. The Lyons slowly rebuilt their lead and headed to the locker room with a 44-36 edge.
The Blue and White opened a sizeable lead early in the second half, stretching its edge to 16 points on three occasions, the last when sophomore Jake Otto (Glastonbury, CT/Glastonbury) converted a three-point play at 13:40. However, the Cougars slowly chiseled away at Wheaton's advantage by outscoring its hosts, 22-7 over the final 9:50 of regulation. Sophomore Pat Landers (Worcester, MA/Saint John's) knotted the score by canning a long-range shot with 42 seconds to go, and neither team cashed in on its final possession.
The teams traded the lead on the first four possessions of overtime, as Szklarz sandwiched a pair of buckets around a Zukowski three-pointer before Greenslit put the Lyons back on top, 81-79 with a long-range basket at 1:48. Zukowski's second trey of the stanza came with 24 ticks left to put Wheaton up, 85-81, but Szklarz sank a jumper at the opposite end and, following a free throw by senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School), sank a game-tying three with five seconds left to send the game into a second overtime. During the first extra session, Szklarz scored nine of his squad's 11 points as the teams finished tied at 86.
Clark scored on its first two possessions in the second overtime, but Wheaton responded each time to tie the game. DiGiovanna hit a free throw to help the Lyons forge a 91-90 edge at 2:00, but Landers grabbed an offensive board and put his team back in front with 1:11 remaining. Following a Wheaton miss, Otto snagged a carom and deposited the go-ahead lay-up with 41 seconds left, and Zukowski corralled Clark's unsuccessful go-ahead attempt before being fouled. Zukowski drained two free throws before the Cougars missed a try at a game-tying three.
In posting a season-high in scoring, Zukowski went 10-of-18 while adding five boards and four assists. DiGiovanna tallied his first career double-double, tying career highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kelly, who became Wheaton's first men's basketball player to reach 500 career assists, finished the day by tying his career high and school record of 12 assists, which he also accomplished on January 4, 2004, to go along with 12 points and five steals. Johnston rounded out the hosts' double-figure scorers with 10 points.
Szklarz netted a career-high 40 points for the guests, shooting 14-of-31 from the field, including 7-of-15 from beyond the arc. Freshman Alfred Thomas (West Haven, CT/West Haven) was the only other Cougar in double figures, notching 13 points to go along with 11 boards. Sophomore Dominique Beck (Brockton, MA/Dean Junior College) dished out 10 assists and pulled down nine rebounds.
The Blue and White plays its next two games away from home, beginning with a NEWMAC contest at Babson College on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Clark University vs Wheaton College 1/28/06 3:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 95, CLARK UNIVERSITY 92 CLARK UNIVERSITY (9-10, 3-4) Cory Szklarz 14-31 5-6 40; Alfred Thomas 5-7 3-4 13; Asher Cowan 3-5 0-0 9; Pat Landers 4-6 0-0 9; DJ Brinn 2-6 0-0 6; Peter Normandin 3-3 0-1 6; Tim Dutille 2-7 1-2 5; Dominique Beck 1-5 2-4 4; Gervais Barger 0-0 0-0 0; Godfrey Duncan 0-3 0-0 0; Pat Ochoa 0-0 0-0 0; Byron Roberts 0-1 0-0 0; Salvatore DeMarco 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-74 11-17 92. WHEATON COLLEGE (12-7, 3-4) Brian Zukowski 10-18 4-8 28; Brent DiGiovanna 7-14 4-7 18; Sean Kelly 4-10 3-6 12; Eric Johnston 4-10 1-2 10; James Greenslit 3-4 0-0 9; Jake Otto 3-4 2-3 8; Kristopher Pedra 2-4 1-2 6; David Harding 1-3 2-2 4; Justin Brown 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 34-69 17-30 95. Clark University.............. 36 39 11 6 - 92 Wheaton College............... 44 31 11 9 - 95 3-point goals-Clark University 13-29 (Cory Szklarz 7-15; Asher Cowan 3-5; DJ Brinn 2-4; Pat Landers 1-2; Dominique Beck 0-1; Byron Roberts 0-1; Alfred Thomas 0-1), Wheaton College 10-19 (Brian Zukowski 4-8; James Greenslit 3-4; Eric Johnston 1-2; Sean Kelly 1-2; Kristopher Pedra 1-2; Justin Brown 0-1). Fouled out--Clark University-Dominique Beck; Tim Dutille, Wheaton College-James Greenslit. Rebounds-Clark University 41 (Alfred Thomas 11), Wheaton College 39 (Brent DiGiovanna 11). Assists-Clark University 17 (Dominique Beck 10), Wheaton College 20 (Sean Kelly 12). Total fouls-Clark University 24, Wheaton College 15. A-425