Lyons post one of program's highest shooting percentages in win at Clark

WORCESTER, MA- While not leading until the final 6:12 of regulation on Wednesday at Clark University, the Wheaton College men's basketball team used an 18-2 run to overcome a 13-point deficit in recording one of the program's highest shooting percentages during a 74-69 victory in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at the Kneller Athletic Center.

Collecting their fifth victory in games decided by six points or fewer while stopping a three-game slide, the Lyons, who trailed by as many as 15 points during the opening half, improved to 7-13 overall and 3-5 in league play.  The Cougars fall to 11-9 and 2-5.

Junior Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA/Watertown) racked up 16 second-half points to finish the night with 20, shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 at the charity stripe, to go alongside two threes and a trio of steals, as Wheaton notched the program's fourth-highest shooting performance at 61.4 percent.  The Lyons shot 66.7 percent in the second half, including 5-of-7 from three.  Sophomore Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, RI/Bishop Hendricken) went 5-of-6 for 14 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Cliften Desravines (Somerville, MA/Taft School) added nine points and five boards.

Clark senior Mark Alexander (Providence, RI/Marianapolis Prep) led all scorers with 24 points, going 8-of-14 from the floor while making all seven of his free-throw tries.  Classmate Chris LoPiano (Franklin Square, NY/Saint Dominic) contributed 10 points, while freshman Tucker Esborn (Branford, CT/Avon Old Farms School) had eight.

Trailing 57-44 with less than 11 minutes to go, Wheaton put on a stellar offensive display over the next 10-plus minutes, making 11 of its last 13 shots, including canning its final eight.  After scoring 44 points during the first 29:13, the Lyons exploded for 30 points in the next 10:32 alone.  Coppola ripped off the Blue and White's final 10 points, while Degnan and freshman Brian Johnson (Roxbury, MA/Brimmer and May School) sparked the big 18-2 run by combining to score 14.

Johnson's triple at 6:12 of the second half that followed a Desravines steal put the Lyons in front for good, and for the first time, as Coppola provided a dish on the bucket that made it 60-59.  A Desravines dunk at 5:36 pushed Wheaton to a three-point edge before Clark crept to within one three different times, and with a chance to tie, the Cougars missed two free throws and a lay-up on the same possession with a little more than three minutes left.  Coppola's three at 2:05 and two freebies at 1:21 gave the Lyons their largest lead of the game at 71-65.  Clark came within three with 1:03 left before Coppola's lay-up at 44 seconds sealed the come-from-behind victory.

The hosts controlled play for most of the first half, jumping out to a 9-2 advantage at 17:24 before Wheaton cut its deficit to 11-9 with 15:30 on the clock.  Clark answered with a 10-0 run for a 21-9 lead at 11:15.  Degnan's jumper at 6:19 pulled the Lyons to within 26-20 before the Cougars scored 16 of the game's next 23 points for a commanding 42-27 lead with just under a minute to go before intermission.  Wheaton hit a three with 34 ticks on the clock that made the halftime score 42-30.

Wheaton returns to Worcester on Saturday for a match-up against perennial league power Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) at 1:00 p.m.