Wheaton, Ill. - A barrage of three-pointers guided the Wheaton College men's basketball team to an 82-52 victory over Manchester College on Tuesday.

The Thunder improve to 4-0 on the season. The Spartans fall to 1-3.

The Thunder found its gear after the first five minutes and scored 16 unanswered points to take a 21-6 lead midway through the first half.

With an aggressive defense that stymied the Spartan attack, Wheaton was able to successfully get into transition throughout the night. The hosts scored 16 points off turnovers in the opening half as the lead increased to 38-19 at halftime.

Guard Aaron Garriott was the main beneficiary of Manchester's defensive game plan. The Spartans aggressively covered Tim McCrary on all his touches. Wheaton responded by quickly passing out to the perimeter and swinging it out to open shooters. Garriott took advantage, as the senior knocked down 5-of-10 three-pointers in the game.

McCrary made the most of his opportunities by hitting all six shots from the field and all three free throws. The senior forward finished with 15 points and five rebounds.

Guards Jeremy Pflederer and Tyler Peters distributed for open shots throughout to finish with five assists each. Pflederer also hit a trio of three-pointers to tally 11 points. Garriott's 23 points led the team.

The Thunder defense did not let up despite the lead in the second half. Fastbreak dunks and open three-pointers continued to rain with the lead ballooning up to 40 points (75-35). Over half of Wheaton's shots in the game were three-pointers (29 out of 57 total attempts).

Wheaton ended up shooting over 50 percent for the third-straight game (30 of 57), including 45 percent from long range (13 of 29) and 69 percent on free throws (9 of 13).

Manchester was led by Jordan Moss' 21 points. The Spartans shot 42 percent from the field (22 of 52), 20 percent from beyond the arc (2 of 10) and 35 percent from the free throw line (6 of 17).