CHESTNUT HILL, MA - Six players scored at least nine points, and the balanced scoring effort helped the Wheelock College men's basketball team hold off a furious rally by Southern Vermont College during an 89-78 triumph in each squad's New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) opener Tuesday evening on Pine Manor College's Brunelli Court. The Wildcats moved back to .500 at 3-3, while the Mountaineers slipped to 5-4.
The contest marked the first in five all-time meetings that wasn't decided by six points or less, as Wheelock hit eight three-pointers, coming within one of a school record, and shot 23-for-24 on free-throw tries. Senior Daniel Main (Hopedale, MA/Hopedale) eclipsed the 900-point plateau behind a game-high 20, as he shot 4-of-8 from three-point range while adding six assists.
Junior Eric Rice (Woburn, MA/Woburn) notched a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds, classmate Kyle Pierce (Burlington, MA/Burlington) totaled 14 points and six helpers, and sophomore Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, MA/Weston) turned in 14 points and six boards off the bench. Junior Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cypress Bay) added 12 points, and senior reserve Patsy DiNuzzo (Beaver, PA/Beaver) canned a trio of threes for nine points in 11 minutes.
Freshman Deshawn Hamlet (Hartford, CT/Buckley) scored 17 points to lead the visitors, while sophomore Jorge Jorge (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park) turned in 14 off the bench. Junior Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, NC/Denmark Technical College) totaled 13 points and six rebounds, while senior Lance Spratling (Pittsfield, MA/Taconic), the NECC's leading scorer, was held to nearly half his average in contributing 11 points.
A Rice jumper 20 seconds into the game gave Wheelock the lead for good, though a Hamlet lay-up with 6:14 left in the opening half brought the Mountaineers within 35-28. The Wildcats responded by knocking down four three-pointers during a 20-5 run that took 4:01 to elapse, which put the hosts on top by a 55-33 count. Main single-handedly played a role in 11 points, canning two threes and dishing off on a pair of baskets.
The hosts held a 59-40 advantage at the intermission and still led 65-44 on a Rice jumper with 15:33 left in the game, but a 14-4 spurt by Southern Vermont made it a nine-point game on a Jorge hoop at 8:55. Main provided four straight points to push the Wheelock lead back to 13, but the Mountaineers scored 11 of the next 13 points, as Jorge hit two threes, and freshman Edwin Meregildo's (Bronx, NY/John F. Kennedy) bucket at 5:07 made it 73-69. However, Kaim and Main tallied consecutive hoops, and the Wildcats never again led by fewer than seven.
Wheelock takes to the road for its next three contests, beginning a semester-ending road trip on Thursday at Curry College at 7 p.m.