CHESTNUT HILL, MA - Junior Kyle Pierce (Burlington, MA/Burlington) went 6-of-6 on free-throw tries during the final 45.7 seconds to key a 10-2 Wheelock College run and help the Wildcats rally past Lesley University, 56-53, during a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball contest on Thursday at Pine Manor College's Brunelli Court. Now 9-10 overall and 5-4 in the league, Wheelock won for the fifth time in seven games. The Lynx slipped to 4-15 and 1-8.

The Wildcats, who are 5-2 all time against Lesley, received the go-ahead hoop with 2:03 remaining from senior Daniel Main (Hopedale, MA/Hopedale), who finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Junior Eric Rice (Woburn, MA/Woburn) notched his second double-double of the season behind 14 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocks, while Pierce finished 7-of-7 from the charity stripe and tallied 11 points, all after halftime. Junior Max Kaim (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cypress Bay) notched four steals and three assists, while sophomore Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, MA/Weston) snagged six boards.

Senior Jesus Trejo (Methuen, MA/Methuen) posted a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for Lesley, which held a 45-34 advantage on the glass. Junior John Sanchez (Carson, CA/Saint John Bosco) led all scorers with 16 points, while junior Grant Cobb (Plymouth, MN/Wayzata) and freshman Kris Bennett (Las Vegas, NV/Durango) each hauled in nine boards.

During a game that produced 16 lead changes, including 11 in the second half alone, a Trejo hoop with 7:14 remaining in the game gave Lesley a 49-46 edge, but Wheelock followed by blanking the visitors until 13 seconds remained. Kaim's lay-up at 3:33 made it a one-point contest before Main drove for a basket at 2:03 that gave his team a 50-49 advantage and the lead for good. With less than a minute remaining and the score the same, Kaim came up with a critical steal, and Pierce canned two freebies at 45.7 seconds. Two more Pierce free throws at 17.4 ticks made it 54-49 before Lesley scored twice in the final 13 seconds.

Wheelock led for much of the final 14 minutes of the opening half, turning an 8-7 deficit into a 20-13 lead by 9:54 thanks in large part to three-pointers by each Hudson, senior Patsy DiNuzzo (Beaver, PA/Beaver) and junior Elliot Hernandez (Fort Lauderdale, FL/Cypress Bay) during one three-minute span. Lesley twice rallied to knot the game prior to the Wildcats recapturing the lead, including on a Main lay-up at 2:09 that made the score 26-24, but Lynx junior Bryant Itonyo (Medford, MA/Medford) canned a final-minute trey to provide his team a 27-26 halftime edge.

Neither team led by more than three points during the first 19:41 of the second stanza, as an early 6-0 Wheelock run erased a three-point hole, with Main netting the final four points. Sanchez's three-point play at 8:11 broke a 46-all tie, and Trejo's ensuing lay-up set up the exciting finish.

Wheelock hosts NECC leader Becker College on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Hawks are receiving votes in this week's D3hoops.com national poll.