Norton, MA --- Wheaton senior Scott Facher (Lebanon, NH) registered a season-best 16 points to go with four steals and three assists to lead five in double-figure scoring as the Lyons defeated Worcester State, 76-65, in non-conference men's basketball action this evening.
With the win Wheaton ups its record to 9-11 while the Lancers even up their campaign mark to 10-10. The contest was a rematch of the Hampton Inn Classic Championship at UMass Dartmouth that saw the Lyons earn the 78-66 triumph.
Wheaton was also led by sophomore Ryan Clinesmith (New York, NY) tallied 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, six rebounds and three steals.
Freshman Billy Battaglia (Simsbury, CT) compiled 13 points while senior Brian Johnson (Roxbury, MA) and sophomore Mike O'Loughlin (Milford, NH) contributed ten points apiece.
Junior Robert Hunter (St. Louis, MO) paced the Blue and Gold with 15 points on 6-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, three steals, one blocked shot and one assist. Senior Kyle Ferreira (Westport, MA) added 12 points, five caroms, two assists and one steal.
Classmate Monte Goodwin (Boston, MA/Belmont) chipped in with 12 points, five boards and two assists.
After claiming a 38-31 lead at halftime, the Lyons raced out to a 51-39 advantage using a 13-8 run over the opening seven minutes of the second stanza.
Sophomore guard Jaycob Morales (Lawrence, MA) took over on the next two scoring plays for Wheaton to give the Lyons a ten point lead (49-39) before Battaglia capped the scoring at 13:18 with a fast break bucket of his own for Wheaton's biggest lead of the night at 12 points (51-39).
Worcester State clawed back into the contest with a 22-11 scoring run to come within a one point deficit, 62-61, with 5:33 remaining on the clock.
Jobst, Hunter and junior forward Jeremy Ross (Holden, MA/Wachusett) guided the run with four points each. Hunter gave the Lancers some needed momentum at 11:36 as he threw down a two-handed fastbreak slam on a baseball pass from Goodwin who hauled in a defensive rebound on the right block.
After Battaglia and Ross exchanged layups over the next two possessions, Johnson swished a three-pointer from the left corner at 4:38 to squander Worcester State's rally for good.
The Lyons, who never trailed in the game, shot 70-percent (7-for-10) from the free throw line down the stretch – including a 4-for-6 showing from Morales – to close out the win.
Wheaton nearly made half of their shots (46 percent - 27-for-59) as they also drained 79 percent of their points from the charity stripe (15-for-19). The Lancers connected for a modest sum from the field (41 percent - 25-for-60), but only made four of their 14 attempts from downtown.
The hosts led in points points off turnovers (20-13), points in transition (10-6) and the bench was a great source of depth (31-15).
Despite the setback, the Blue and Gold dominated the backboards (41-32) and they used a 12-5 edge on the offensive glass to hold an 11-6 lead in second-chance points. WSU also led in points in the paint (38-36).
The Lyons travel to unbeaten #4 WPI on Wednesday, February 6 at 7 in NEWMAC action while Worcester State visits MCLA this Saturday in a MASCAC matchup on Saturday at 5:30 PM.
Major Portions of Release Courtesy of Wheaton College Sports Information