By Jim Fenton

NORTON, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team fell to 0-3 with a road loss on Tuesday night.

The Bears were defeated by Wheaton College, 90-81, at the Emerson Gymnasium, the third straight Lyons' win over BSU.

The Lyons (4-1) held a 90-68 lead with 2:49 left and Bears scored the game's final 13 points to get the deficit under double digits.

Senior Dante Kikuba (Framingham, Mass.) led BSU with 20 points plus four rebounds and three assists.

Junior Zach Taylor (Quincy, Mass.) added 18 points on 8-for-13 shooting while freshman Kyden Wiley (Wesley Chapel, Fla.) scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds.

Wheaton had three players in double figures, led by senior Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) with double-double totals of 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Junior Diimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) had 14 points, five assists and three steals while sophomore Rex Zadrozny (Cumberland, R.I.) scored 12 points and had five rebounds.

Wheaton made 51 percent of its shots, going 37-for-73, while the Bears were atw 38 percent, making 29 of 76.

BSU had only seven assists and trailed in fast-break points, 15-5.

The Bears led by as many as nine points in the first half, but they were never ahead again after holding a 34-33 advantage in the closing minutes of the half.

BSU raced out to an 11-2 lead in the opening 2:08, getting 3-pointers from Kikuba and Taylor, three free throws from junior Sam Sweeney (Burlington, Vt.) and a layup from Kikuba.

A Wiley layup gave the Bears a 15-8 lead with 14:55 remaining before the break, but the Lyons responded with a 13-2 run over the next three minutes.

That gave Wheaton a 21-17 lead as Morrissey, senior Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) and junior Markus Nordin (Wenham, Mass.) made 3-pointers while Iafrate hit two baskets.

BSU tied it at 23, getting back-to-back 3-pointers from Kikuba near the midway point of the half.

The Bears went on a 9-2 run to open a 32-25 lead, but Wheaton answered that by outscoring BSU, 16-5 in the final 5:02 of the half.

The Bears managed just a Taylor layup with 3:23 to go and a 3-pointer by Sweeney with 45 seconds remaining.

Wheaton used a pair of Pedevillano 3-pointers and one from Nordin to take a 41-37 lead at the break.

The Bears were outscored, 24-12, in the first 5:58 of the second half and fell behind, 65-49.

Senior Tristan Herry (Taunton, Mass.) made two 3-pointers as part of that run.

The Lyons built their biggest lead at 90-68 with time running out, and the Bears put together a 13-0 run in the final 2:39.

BSU returns home on Friday night for the opener of the Cave Classic. The Bears will play Regis College at 5:30 p.m. followed by a 7:30 game between Fisher and Wentworth at the Tinsley Center.

Wheaton takes on Gordon College at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.