Wheaton will host number-six seed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on Tuesday, February 22 in Emerson Gymnasium at 7:00 p.m. The Lyons snapped their four-game losing skid to improve to 16-8 on the season and 7-5 in conference play, while the Beavers finished seventh in the NEWMAC at 2-10 with an overall mark of 8-17. Babson will travel to number-two seed Springfield College on Tuesday.
Wheaton took control of the contest early, jumping out to a 15-4 lead behind five points from sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut). The Lyons eventually led by as many as 14 twice midway through the period, including a 30-16 advantage with six minutes remaining. Babson then used an 11-4 run to pull to within seven at 34-27 with 3:30 left in the period, but the Lyons finished the half with a trio of three-pointers, including back-to-back threes by Zukowski, to take a 43-30 advantage into the break.
The visitors continued to extend their lead early in the second half, as Zukowski drained another three-pointer to give Wheaton its largest advantage of the game, 51-34, with 17 minutes remaining in the contest. However, Babson would claw its way back into the contest with a 12-2 run over the next seven minutes of play, cutting its deficit to just seven, 53-46, with 10 minutes to go.
The Beavers still trailed by seven at 56-49 when senior tri-captain Phil Riffe (Newton, MA/Newton North) knocked down a key three-pointer to trim Wheaton's lead to just four with six minutes on the clock. However, the Lyons came right back with a 7-0 spurt that was capped by a three-pointer from senior tri-captain Jose Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's), pushing their advantage back to 11 at 63-52. Babson would eventually get back to within six twice in the closing moments of the contest, but junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) hit 6-of-6 from the line in the final minute and Vega added two more from the stripe to clinch the 76-67 victory.
Vega led Wheaton with 19 points, while Zukowski poured in 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Lyons also received impressive performances from Kelly, who scored 15 points to go along with seven assists and five steals, and senior tri-captain Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional), who recorded his first career double-double with a career-best 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) added a career-high 11 boards in the win.
Babson was led by senior CJ Enere (Hyde Park, MA/Lexington), who matched his career high with 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting. The senior guard also collected eight rebounds in the loss, while senior Geoff Ponitz (Oakland, ME/Phillips Exeter) added 11 points and six rebounds.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs Babson College 2/19/05 3:00 p.m. at Babson Park, Mass. At Babson Park, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 76, BABSON COLLEGE 67 WHEATON COLLEGE (16-8, 7-5) Josean Vega 6-12 3-3 19; Brian Zukowski 6-8 0-0 16; Sean Kelly 4-7 7-8 15; Mark Ledwell 5-8 5-6 15; Eric Johnston 2-3 0-0 4; Mike Stanton 1-8 1-2 3; David Harding 0-0 2-4 2; James Greenslit 0-3 2-2 2; Brent DiGiovanna 0-1 0-0 0; Jake Otto 0-0 0-0 0; Brian Cerone 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-50 20-25 76. BABSON COLLEGE (8-17, 2-10 NEWMC) CJ Enere 11-18 0-3 25; Geoff Ponitz 5-10 1-5 11; David Votta 2-3 2-2 7; Kyle McDonald 2-5 2-2 6; Greg Bush 2-6 2-5 6; Brooks Brown 2-7 1-2 5; Phil Riffe 1-6 0-0 3; Dan Harrison 1-3 0-0 2; Dan Elliman 1-6 0-1 2; Jamaal Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0; Brandon Eigenberg 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-64 8-20 67. Wheaton College............... 43 33 - 76 Babson College................ 30 37 - 67 3-point goals-Wheaton College 8-18 (Josean Vega 4-6; Brian Zukowski 4-5; Mike Stanton 0-4; James Greenslit 0-2; Sean Kelly 0-1), Babson College 5-17 (CJ Enere 3-5; Phil Riffe 1-6; David Votta 1-2; Brooks Brown 0-2; Dan Elliman 0-2). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, Babson College-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 40 (Mike Stanton 11), Babson College 33 (CJ Enere 8). Assists-Wheaton College 16 (Sean Kelly 7), Babson College 12 (Dan Elliman 3; Brooks Brown 3). Total fouls-Wheaton College 21, Babson College 19. A-250