CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – In their first game of 2015, Mount Ida College held a four point lead at halftime, but Wheelock men's basketball pulled away in the second half to beat the Mustangs, 76-67 Saturday afternoon at Brunelli Court at Pine Manor College.

Wildcats sophomore guard Matthew Eason (East Hartford, Conn.) led all players with 23 points, including 6 made 3-point attempts. Classmate Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) played a solid all-around game as well, tallying 16 points, 6 assists and 5 steals. 

Wheelock edged the Mustangs on the boards, 38-33. Junior forward Joe Reedy (Orlando, Fl.) owned 15 of those boards to go along with 7 points, 2 assists and a steal.

Mount Ida senior Treace Macklin (Brockton, Mass.) had five rebounds to lead the Mustangs, who also got ten points from freshman Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas), which included 2-3 from behind the three-point line. 

Wheelock sophomore forward Anthony Williams (White Plains, N.Y.) pitched in with 12 points and 8 rebounds while fellow sophomore Derek Fournier (Johnston, R.I.) added 11 points. 

The Mustangs led 30-26 after a half that saw several lead changes. Mount Ida held their advantage in the second half for over 13 minutes until Fournier sank a three-pointer to lift the Wildcats to 40-39. 

The contest had been even until that point, but an 8-0 Wheelock run would ultimately put the game away.  

Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) handed out four assists for Mount Ida in the loss, while his classmate Brendan Cunningham (Quincy, Mass.) had three dimes and nine points.

The Wildcats earn their second consecutive victory and advance to 3-7 on the season, while Mount Ida drops to 1-8.

Mount Ida is back in action on Tuesday, January 6 for a 7:00 p.m. game at Saint Joseph's (Me.) as they return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play.

The Wildcats return to action Saturday, January 10, when they travel to NECC rival Elms College for a 1:00 p.m. contest.