BOX SCORE

BABSON PARK, Mass. - Sophomore Brendan Dengan (Narragansett, R.I.) and junior co-captain Anthony Coppola (Watertown, Mass.) both hit clutch shots in the final 2:07 to lift the visiting Wheaton College men's basketball team to a 70-65 win over host Babson College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference contest at Staake Gymnasium on Thursday night.

With the win, Wheaton improves to 8-14 overall and 4-6 in the conference, while the loss drops Babson's record to 9-13 overall and 2-8 in the NEWMAC.

Coppola finished with 12 points and four rebounds in the win for Wheaton, while senior Jaxon Leo (Leesburg, Va.) added 12 points, three rebounds, and two blocked shots. Sophomore Brendan Dengan (Narragansett, R.I.) contributed 11 points, four boards, three assists, and three steals, senior co-captain Ben Stehle (Newton, Mass.) tossed in 10 points, and sophomore Anthony Weeks (Fitchburg, Mass.) chipped in with six points and seven rebounds. The Lyons shot 50.0 percent (25-50) for the game, including a 60.9 percent clip (14-23) in the decisive second half.

Babson was paced by first-year Russell Braithwaite (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting to go with eight rebounds. Junior co-captain Matt Zoia (Nashua, N.H.) and sophomore Matt Florio (Skillman, N.J.) each contributed nine points, sophomore Marcus Edwards (East Hampton, N.Y.) netted eight points, and first-year Marcus McDermott (Milton, Mass.) added five points, four boards, and four assists. Although the Beavers shot better in the second half (45.5 percent), they hit just 42.0 percent (21-50) of their field goals in the contest.

Wheaton led 27-25 after a Leo lay-up with 3:52 left in the first half, but Babson closed the period with an 13-2 run to take a 38-29 advantage into the locker room. Sophomore Kris Noonan (Boothbay Harbor, Maine) scored five points during the spurt for the Beavers, while Braithwaite both started and capped the run with lay-ups. Braithwaite finished the half with eight points and seven rebounds to pace Babson, while Edwards also netted eight in the opening period. Leo led Wheaton's balanced first-half attack with six points at the break.

The Lyons twice pulled to within one in the second stanza, but each time the Beavers answered with key points to maintain the lead. However, Wheaton finally moved in front with a 7-0 burst over a two-minute stretch late in the period, with Leo's three-pointer from the top of the key at 6:36 giving the Lyons their first lead of the half at 57-55. First-year Brian Johnson followed with another long jumper at the six-minute mark, giving the visitors a 59-55 advantage.

Babson stayed within two possessions the rest of the way, getting to within one after a conventional three-point play by McDermott made it 64-63 with 2:34 remaining. Coppola then posted up and converted a huge shot from the right block to make it a three-point affair with 2:07 left, and after Braithwaite scored in the paint for the Beavers, Degnan drove to the basket and sank a key lay-up to make it 68-65 with 10 seconds left. Babson came up empty on its final possession and Coppola knocked down two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining to seal the 70-65 victory.