Chestnut Hill, Mass. – Sherard Robbins (Malden, MA) scored 23 points and pulled down 12 boards to lead the Wheelock Wildcats to a 67-53 win over Anna Maria College in Tuesday night’s home opener.

 

Anna Maria jumped out to the early lead, taking a 5-0 lead on a three pointer by Henry Rose (Coventry, R.I.) less than a minute into the game. Robbins tied the game at 5-5 on a jumper at the 14:53 mark and the Wildcats went ahead permanently when David Tavares dropped in a free throw a minute later. It was a lead Wheelock would never relinquish, as Head Coach John Prezioza’s team led by as many as 12 points in the game.

 

The Wildcats won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding the AMCATS 42-34. Freshman Eric Rice (Woburn, MA) accounted for 11 for Wheelock while kicking in 9 points. Fellow freshman Kyle Pierce was the other Wildcat in double digits, scoring 10 before fouling out late in the second half.

 

The AMCATS had three players in double digits, with Rose leading the way with 13. Brad Peterson and Tyler Washington scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

 

The win matches last year’s total for Wheelock, putting them at 1-0 in their second season, while Anna Maria falls to 1-1.

 

The Wildcats will next play in the Salem College Tipoff on Friday and Saturday. The AMCATS return to action on Friday in the opening round of the Rivier Tournament starting at 7:00 pm.