Men's Hoops Comeback Falls Short in 68-66 Loss to Wheaton

Box Score

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Wheaton College junior forward Anthony Coppola (Watertown, MA) scored a game-high 18 points to go along with five assists and four rebounds to lead the visiting Lyons to a 68-66 victory over Bridgewater State College in non-conference men's basketball action this afternoon at the Tinsley Center.

With the win, the Lyons improve to 3-2 on the season.  Bridgewater falls to 3-3.

Wheaton senior forward Ben Stehle (Newton, MA) posted a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds.  He also connected on 5 of 7 field goal attempts.  As a team, the Lyons shot 54% (26-for-48) from the floor and connected on 8 of 19 three-point attempts.  Six of the team's three-point field goals came in the first half.

Bridgewater State senior point guard Matt McLaughlin (Rochester, MA) paced the host Bears with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.  He knocked down 8 of 11 field goal attempts and did not turn the ball over.

Wheaton never trailed in the game and jump out to a quick 12-2 lead over the first 3 ½ minutes.  Bridgewater ultimately would battle back to within three points (30-27) with 5:26 left to play in the first half.  The Lyons used a 7-0 run highlighted by a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, MA) to go back up by ten points (37-27) with 2:46 remaining.  Bridgewater, however scored the final four points of the half on a pair of layups by McLaughlin and junior forward Judah Jackson (Everett, MA) to pull the Bears to within six points (37-31) at the intermission.

The Lyons came out strong in the second half and were able to increase their lead to eleven at 50-39 at the 13:47 mark.  However, the fast start did not last as the Lyons went scoreless for the next 4 ½ minutes.  The Bears used an 11-2 run to pull to within two points at 52-50. Sophomore guard Corey Ryser (Tewksbury, MA) knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the run while senior guard Anthony Goss (Boston, MA) also connected from long-range.

The game stayed close the rest of the way with Wheaton pulling ahead by only as much as six points.  Trailing 62-58, Jackson hit a running lay-up and was fouled.  He promptly buried the ensuing free throw to make it a one-point game with 1:14 on the clock.  Wheaton answered with a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Brendan Degnan (Narragansett, MA).   Jackson then knocked down two free throws of his own to get the score back to one at 64-63 with 44 seconds left to play.

The Bears were able to force a turnover, but were then called for an offensive foul.   A three-point play by Coppola pushed the Lyons lead up to four points, but Ryser answered with a long three to make it a one-point game (67-66) with 20 seconds to go.

After a foul, Coppola made just one of two free throws giving Bridgewater a chance to either tie or win the game.  However, a pair of three-point attempts in the closing seconds did not find the mark and Wheaton held on for the 68-66 win.

For the Bears, Jackson finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and four steals.   He was 8 of 9 from the charity stripe.  Ryser scored 12 points off the bench as he connected on 4 of 6 three-point attempts.

Bridgewater shot just 38% (24-for-64) from the floor.  The Bears did however pull down 15 offensive rebounds and forced 21 turnovers thanks in part to 15 steals.