Clinesmith drops a career-high 23 points and collects nine caroms in victory for Wheaton

NEWTON, Mass. – Sophomore forward Ryan Clinesmith (New York, N.Y./The Hill School) led all scorers with 23 points and nine rebounds as the Wheaton College men's basketball team erupted for its season-high in points with a 91-76 victory over Mount Ida College in non-conference action on Tuesday night at the Mount Ida Athletic Center.

Clinesmith netted a career-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and a 5-for-6 performance at the free throw line. Clinesmith also added nine rebounds, three on the offensive glass, and one assist.

Sophomore Mike O'Laughlin (Milford, N.H./Milford) posted 17 points on the night making 3-out-of-4 attempts from beyond the arc, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Classmate Jaycob Morales (Lawrence, Mass./Central Catholic) rounded out the Lyons double-digit scorers with 16 points (6-of-7 from the line), five rebounds and two assists.

Junior point guard Will Bayliss (Manchester, N.H./Tilton School) facilitated the offense with eight assists, eight points (4-for-4 from the field) and one rebound.

The Mustangs had four players score in double-figures with freshman guard/forward John Fortes (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) guiding the squad with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field, 1-of-4 from long distance and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.

Freshman guard Kyle Jimenez-Fox (East Boston, Mass./East Boston) chipped in with 13 points, classmate and forward Cameron Walker (New Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) added 12 points and seven rebounds and senior center Jeffrey McNair (Brockton, Mass./Brockton) compiled ten points and seven boards.

Wheaton's offense clicked from the opening tip as the Lyons jumped out to a 21-6 lead at the 11:15 mark of the first half. Wheaton shot 63.0-percent (10-for-16) during that stretch only using one 3-point basket by freshman guard Eric Davis (Middleton, Mass./Milton Academy), which capped the scoring outburst, to push its advantage to 15 points in the early going. Clinesmith powered the offense during the run with ten points on three jumpers and two layups.

The Lyons led by as many as 26 points twice during the contest as Clinesmith put the visitors up 68-42 with 12:18 remaining in the second half. Senior captain and guard Scott Faucher (Lebanon, N.H./Kimball Union Academy) duplicated the gap at the 11:39 mark with his only bucket of the game, a three-point shot on a nice feed from Morales, to push Wheaton ahead, 71-45.

Wheaton dominated play in the paint outscoring the Mustangs, 36-24. The Lyons also shot 54.8-percent from the field, overall, and 65.6-percent in the first half, both season-highs. Mount Ida outrebounded Wheaton, 42-40, and edged the Lyons in the turnover margin, 19-18. The Mustangs recorded 13 steals while their opposition notched five.

Wheaton (4-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) hosts Regis College in non-conference play on Thursday, November 29 in Emerson Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Mount Ida (2-2, 0-0 GNAC) visits Framingham State University for a non-conference matchup on Thursday at 6 p.m.