Trailing 5-3 early in the first half, Blue and White freshman center Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) tied the game at five apiece, but a 7-2 Tech run left the Engineers with a 12-7 advantage with 12:29 remaining. Trading baskets over the next four minutes, Wheaton eventually cut into its 22-15 deficit with a 7-0 run with just over six minutes to play. MIT bounced back with six straight points thanks in part to consecutive jumpers by senior forward Mike Huhs (Mercer Island, WA/Mercer Island) to retake a 28-22 lead. The Lyons used a 6-0 mini-run of their own to tie the contest at 28 and eventually took a slim 29-28 lead heading into halftime courtesy of a free throw by junior guard James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School).
The Lyons extended their lead to five on two separate occasions to start the second half, but Tech continued to reel the Blue and White back in, tying the game for the sixth time at 46-46 with 11:09 remaining. Wheaton eventually broke the game open, going on an 11-3 run thanks to a trio of three-pointers from senior tri-captain Mike Stanton (Lynnfield, MA/Brewster Academy) and sophomore Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut), bringing the Engineers' deficit to 10 points with less than six minutes on the clock. A Phil Murray (Winchester, MA/Winchester) jumper brought MIT to within six with less than a minute to play, but it was too little too late, as the Blue and White went on to capture the 10-point victory.
Zukowski led all scorers with a career-high 23 points, including an all-time best 5-of-5 showing from three-point land, as the Lyons went 8-of-10 (.800) from behind the arc in the second stanza. Stanton, who also had a solid afternoon behind the arc, went 5-of-10 (.500) from three-point territory while contributing 19 points and seven boards. Senior tri-captain Mark Ledwell (Charlemont, MA/Mohawk Trail Regional) and junior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) chipped in with eight points apiece.
Five Engineers scored in double figures on the afternoon, including a team-high 15 points from junior guard Mike D'Auria (Newton, MA/Newton South). Senior guard Adam Gibbons (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) contributed 11 points on the day, while three other players hit for 10 points, including Huhs, who pulled down a game-best 11 rebounds.
The Lyons will continue their conference road slate on Tuesday, January 11, when the squad takes on nationally-ranked Springfield College. The contest is set to tip at 7:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Wheaton College vs MIT 1/8/05 3:00 p.m. at Rockwell Cage, Cambridge, Mass. At Rockwell Cage, Cambridge, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 74, MIT 64 WHEATON COLLEGE (9-2, 2-0) Brian Zukowski 8-12 2-2 23; Mike Stanton 5-14 4-7 19; Sean Kelly 1-5 6-8 8; Mark Ledwell 4-6 0-0 8; Brent DiGiovanna 3-6 0-1 6; James Greenslit 1-3 2-4 4; Eric Johnston 2-5 0-1 4; David Harding 1-1 0-0 2; Justin Brown 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 14-23 74. MIT (6-4, 1-1) Mike D'Auria 7-16 0-0 15; Adam Gibbons 5-8 1-3 11; Mike Huhs 4-8 2-7 10; Phil Murray 5-8 0-0 10; Danny Kanamori 4-11 0-1 10; Alex Krull 1-4 0-0 3; Will Mroz 1-5 0-0 3; Gary Atkins 1-1 0-1 2; Evans Boney 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-62 3-12 64. Wheaton College............... 29 45 - 74 MIT........................... 28 36 - 64 3-point goals-Wheaton College 10-18 (Brian Zukowski 5-5; Mike Stanton 5-10; James Greenslit 0-1; Sean Kelly 0-2), MIT 5-19 (Danny Kanamori 2-8; Will Mroz 1-4; Alex Krull 1-2; Mike D'Auria 1-5). Fouled out--Wheaton College-None, MIT-None. Rebounds-Wheaton College 36 (Mike Stanton 7), MIT 37 (Mike Huhs 11). Assists-Wheaton College 15 (Sean Kelly 5), MIT 14 (Danny Kanamori 6). Total fouls-Wheaton College 15, MIT 22. A-215