February 7, 2009

Wildcats upset Daniel Webster in NECC action

Chestnut Hill, Mass. - After losing nine games by less than ten points this year, the Wheelock men's basketball team finally had the break-through head coach John Preziosa has been waiting for all season.
    
Senior captain Sherard Robbins (Malden, MA) scored a game and season-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, while teammate Victor Kashouh (Providence, RI) turned in his first career double-double with ten boards and 11 points to lead Wheelock to a 72-68 victory over Daniel Webster College at Pine Manor Saturday afternoon.
    
After three ties and eight lead changes in the second half, it looked as though the Eagles would pull this one out when a Chris Hanson (Salem, MA) three pointer with 1:24 left in regulation put Daniel Webster up by one. On the next possession, Kashouh came up with a big offensive rebound and put-back to give Wheelock the advantage with 50 seconds remaining. A pair of free throws from Robbins at the 29 second mark helped seal the win and move Wheelock to 4-5 in the NECC, while the Eagles dropped to 5-3 in conference play.
    
The Wildcats got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, thanks in large part to Daniel Webster's Hanson, who scored 12 of his team-high 26 points in the first 12 minutes of play, including a pair of three pointers. Hanson was 9-15 from the field, and 5-11 from behind the arc.
    
As the Eagles began to pull away heading into the half, Wheelock put together an 18-3 run capped by a turn-around jumper from Robbins that gave Wheelock its first lead of the game with 1:53 remaining in the first period. The lead was short lived however, as the Eagles Adam Landry (Vernon, CT) responded with two of his 12 points to put Daniel Webster back in front. After a Wheelock turnover, Senior Eagle Brian Inge (Fort Washington, MD) dropped in a 15 footer with 3 seconds remaining to send Daniel Webster to the locker room with the 29-26 advantage.
    
Wheelock freshman point guard Kyle Pierce (Burlington, MA) stepped up big yet again for the Wildcats, scoring all of his 15 points in the second half with a 5-7 performance from the floor. Pierce has averaged 15.6 points a game for Wheelock over the past five games.
    
For Daniel Webster, William Harris was the third player in double-digits, scoring 11 points and grabbing a team-high six caroms.