Wildcats Pull Out Win Over Mitchell, 74-68
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - In only the second year of existence, the Wheelock men's basketball team not only earned a trip to the playoffs, but put together a .500 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) record with a hard-fought win over Mitchell College. Eric Murray (Bridgeport, Conn.) finished the game with 19 points and eight rebounds for the Mariners.
The Wildcats were led by another solid performance from freshman Kyle Pierce, who put up a game-high 22 points with a 6-for-10 performance from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 afternoon from the free throw line. The balanced attack for Wheelock continued with yet another double-double from Sherard Robbins (Malden, MA), who had 12 points and 15 rebounds. The 6'5" center played a crucial role in helping the team score 12 second chance points by grabbing six offensive boards. Freshman Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, FL) and Eric Rice (Woburn, MA) both kicked in ten points for the Wildcats.
The game included seven ties and three lead changes, and Wheelock led by as many as 12 when Pierce dropped in a free throw to complete a three point play with 8:04 remaining in the second half. The Mariners refused to go away and brought themselves to within a bucket on a layup by Murray. Jenel Russell (East Hampton, N.Y.) joined Murray in double digit scoring with 17 points and nine boards.
The Mariners then took the lead when junior Mike DePaolo (Asbury, NJ) nailed a triple from the corner, to put his team up by one. Wheelock responded with six straight points and a 12-5 run to end the game and get the win, putting the seasons series even at one.
With today's game ending the regular season, Wheelock will again host Mitchell on Tuesday night at Pine Manor College at 5:30 pm in the first round of the NECC playoff.
