Norton, Mass. - The interior duo
of sophomores Mitch
Renshaw (Rutland, Mass.) and Brian
Vayda (Sturbridge, Mass.) combined for 42 points and
14 rebounds to lead visiting Clark past Wheaton, 74-70 on Saturday
afternoon at Emerson Gymnasium in New England Women's and Men's
Athletic Conference men's basketball action.
The Cougars led by as many as 13 midway through the second half,
but a flurry of turnovers down the stretch coupled with some timely
shooting by the Lyons, trimmed the Clark advantage to as few as two
with nine seconds remaining.
Vayda then stepped to the line and made a pair of free throws to
seal the game for the Cougars, who improve to 9-5 overall and 1-1
in the NEWMAC. Wheaton, meanwhile, slips to 5-7 overall and 1-1 in
league play.
Clark, which struggled from the field in their 61-46 loss to Coast
Guard on Wednesday, connected on 51 percent of its attempts against
the Lyons, including a 6-for-14 performance from behind the
arc.
The Cougars controlled the glass, outrebounding Wheaton 40-21 and
they also had an excellent day passing the ball, with 18 assists
attached to their 27 baskets.
With 14:30 left in the game, Clark embarked on an 11-1 run that
included a Slader
Lyell (Portsmouth, R.I.) triple and was highlighted by
six points from Vayda to give the Cougars their biggest lead of the
game at 54-41 with 9:48 left.
Clark still had a 69-57 lead with 2:51 left following a dunk from
Renshaw, but the Cougars committed turnovers on their next three
possessions. Meanwhile, the Lyons, who went 15-for-21 from the free
throw line in the second half, made six straight from the charity
stripe surrounded by a layup and a three-pointer to close within
striking distance.
The Cougars regrouped, and Lyell made three of four free throws
before Vayda sank his clutch pair to seal the win.
Vayda finished with a career-high 27 points (9-for-13), to go
along with seven boards and three assists. In two career games at
Wheatons Emerson Gymnasium, Vayda is averaging 24 points and
10.5 rebounds on 65 percent shooting (17-for-26).
Renshaw, meanwhile, totaled 15 points and seven boards. Lyell
added a season-best nine points and both Tucker
Esborn (Branford, Conn.) and Jack
Minister (Manchester, England) each contributed seven.
Mark
Alexander (Providence, R.I.) also registered seven
points, and added nine rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes of
action.
Wheaton was paced by Brendan Degnan's 20 points, while Anthony
Coppola added 19 points and four rebounds.
The Cougars return to action on Tuesday, when they step out of
conference play for a road test at Tufts beginning at 7 p.m. |
