With today's setback, the Lyons fall to 18-9 on the season and will await a potential postseason berth from the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Wheaton stands just one victory shy of its 19-win season set during the 2002-03 season. Winning its 14th straight home game of the season, WPI raises its record to 23-3 overall. The Engineers advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 1984-85 season.
Today's championship between Wheaton and WPI marked the first title game meeting featuring the two teams. The Lyons last appeared in the NEWMAC final in 2002, while the Engineers, ranked in a tie for 29th nationally this week according to the d3hoops.com poll, made their first appearance in a final this afternoon.
Wheaton senior Josean Vega (Pawtucket, RI/St. Raphael's) helped carry the bulk of the offensive load in the opening half, tallying 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point territory and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line. The Lyons snagged eight offensive boards and managed a 21-13 rebounding edge overall, which equated to a 13-2 advantage in second chance points.
The two teams played nip-and-tuck for the first seven minutes, as the hosts held an 11-9 edge with 12:33 remaining. The Engineers then used a 10-2 run over the next five minutes to create some separation. WPI maintained a comfortable advantage and led 25-16 with 5:36 on the clock, but Wheaton battled back and outscored the Engineers, 15-6 the rest of the way to knot the game at 31 apiece at the intermission. Vega scored 10 of the Lyons' points during that spurt.
Similar to the first half, WPI jumped out to an eight-point advantage at 51-43 midway through the second stanza. Wheaton then went on a 9-1 run to tie the contest at 52, as sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) knocked down one of this four three-pointers. Knotted at 57 apiece with three minutes to play, the Lyons had the opportunity to take their first lead since the early going of the opening half.
After grabbing a defensive rebound off a WPI miss, Wheaton misfired on a three-point attempt with 2:31 remaining. The Engineers took advantage, as sophomore Ryan Cain (Webster, MA/St. John's) drained a trey for a 60-57 edge. After another Lyon three-point miss, WPI converted a four-point play on the strength of junior Ryan Flynn's (Hamilton, MA/Hamilton-Wenham) shot from long range. Zukowski cut the deficit to four points with yet another three, but Wheaton missed two critical shots in the closing seconds to seal its fate.
Vega finished with a team-high 15 points, while Zukowski added 14 points and seven rebounds. Senior Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) accounted for seven points and a game-best nine boards, while junior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) finished with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point territory.
Cain paced WPI with a game-best 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 from three-point land, while junior Mike Prestileo (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor) rounded out the double-figure scoring with 11 points. Flynn added eight points, while freshman Antoine Coleman (Everett, MA/Everett) registered a team-best eight rebounds.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs WPI 2/26/05 4:00 p.m. at Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, Mass. At Harrington Auditorium, Worcester, Mass. WPI 64, WHEATON COLLEGE 60 WHEATON COLLEGE (18-9) Josean Vega 4-14 4-4 15; Brian Zukowski 5-12 0-0 14; James Greenslit 3-4 0-0 9; Mark Ledwell 2-6 3-4 7; Sean Kelly 3-7 0-0 6; Mike Stanton 2-10 0-0 5; Eric Johnston 1-4 0-1 2; David Harding 1-1 0-0 2; Brent DiGiovanna 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 7-9 60. WPI (23-3) Ryan Cain 7-14 4-4 21; Mike Prestileo 5-10 0-0 11; Scott Misiaszek 4-9 1-2 9; Ryan Flynn 2-4 3-4 8; James Marois 2-3 0-0 5; Brett Dickson 2-2 0-1 4; Antoine Coleman 2-6 0-0 4; Steve Furber 1-2 0-0 2; Brian Steele 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 8-11 64. Wheaton College............... 31 29 - 60 WPI........................... 31 33 - 64 3-point goals-Wheaton College 11-25 (Brian Zukowski 4-7; Josean Vega 3-6; James Greenslit 3-4; Mike Stanton 1-6; Eric Johnston 0-1; Sean Kelly 0-1), WPI 6-14 (Ryan Cain 3-6; Ryan Flynn 1-1; Mike Prestileo 1-4; James Marois 1-1; Steve Furber 0-1; Brian Steele 0-1). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, WPI-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 37 (Mark Ledwell 9), WPI 31 (Antoine Coleman 8). Assists-Wheaton College 8 (Sean Kelly 3), WPI 9 (Ryan Cain 3). Total fouls-Wheaton College 14, WPI 13. A-850