CHESTNUT HILL, MA - The Wheelock College men's basketball team opened a four-game home stand with a 76-59 loss to two-time defending New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Tournament champion Elms College on Thursday at Pine Manor College's Brunelli Court. The Wildcats are now 7-10 overall and 3-4 in the league, while the Blazers improved to 12-5 and 5-1.
Wheelock, which saw each of its past two trips to the postseason end at the hands of Elms, received 13 points in 22 minutes from senior Daniel Main (Hopedale, MA/Hopedale). Juniors Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cypress Bay) and Kyle Pierce (Burlington, MA/Burlington) each contributed 10 points, with Pierce adding three assists and a pair of three-pointers. Classmate Eric Rice (Woburn, MA/Woburn) had eight points and nine rebounds, junior Victor Kashouh (Providence, RI/Classical) hauled in eight boards and swatted two shots, and sophomore Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, MA/Weston) notched six points, six caroms and two blocks.
Elms senior Juan Alverio (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico/Calusa Prep) played an integral role at both ends of the floor, totaling 17 points, 20 rebounds, six blocks, three assists and three steals. Classmate Cecil Avant (Southwest Ranches, FL/Cypress Bay) finished with 19 points and five steals, sophomore Brittain Purcelle (Tarrytown, NY/Irvington) notched 17 points, and senior Edgar Martinez (Springfield, MA/Central) tallied 14 points. The quartet combined for 67 of the team's 76 points.
Rice opened the scoring at 19:16 of the opening half before Elms countered with 11 straight points from four different scorers, going ahead 11-2 at 16:17 on an Alverio three. After a timeout, Wheelock responded with a 9-0 run over 1:41, as Main netted five of his squad's points. Rice's jumper forced an 11-all stalemate at 13:45, the first of five ties in a 4:16 span.
Hudson's put-back lifted the Wildcats back on top at 15-13, and a Main bucket later made it 19-17 before the Blazers notched seven consecutive points. Avant scored the final five, pushing his team into the lead for good, 24-19, at the 7:11 mark. Elms extended its advantage to as many as eight points prior to the end of the stanza, carrying a 35-29 lead into the locker room.
A Kaim hoop early in the second stanza drew Wheelock within four, but Elms employed a 16-2 run that gave it a 51-33 advantage by 14:39. Purcelle scored eight points in that time. Wildcat junior Elliot Hernandez (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cypress Bay) nailed a three-pointer before Hudson's bucket made it a 13-point game, but the Blazers scored the next six points, with Avant twice scoring on the fast break. The hosts later inched to within 12, at 65-53 on a Pierce three at 3:11, but closed the gap no further.
Wheelock takes on NECC counterpart Mitchell College on Saturday at 1 p.m.