BOSTON - Brian Walmsley would have considered his Wheaton College men's basketball team's chances to be deemed very good knowing that D3Hoops preseason All-American guard Jeremy Shannon of Lowell, the senior backcourt star, would be limited to just five shots, one field goal and three points.

Walmsley would have thought, too, that his Lyons' chances to be ahead on the scoreboard at the Brown-Plofker Gymnasium on the campus of Emerson College would be enhanced having limited the "other" Lions to 59 points.

What Walmsley didn't expect was former Mansfield High Hornet Drew Venter to put on his Superman cape at both ends of the floor, scoring 17 points and defending Wheaton's newest and 12th 1,000-point scorer Anthony Coppola, leading Emerson to a 59-56 verdict in the season opener for both teams Tuesday.

"I did what coach (Hank Smith) asked," said Venter, a 5-foot-11 sophomore guard who played for Mike Vaughan at Mansfield, but who sat out all but seven games last season after undergoing right arm surgery. "Confidence is the main thing."

And Venter has it. Venter had eight points (on 3-for-4 shooting) in 10 minutes, being the first sub off the bench for Emerson in the first half, taking over the floor when Shannon hobbled six minutes into the game with a gimpy left ankle. Venter scored the first five points for Emerson.

But more than that, Coppola was limited to just five shots under Venter's man-to-man defensive scrutiny. And with Emerson protecting a three-point lead, Wheaton having the ball with 2.9 seconds left in the game and the ball in Coppola's hands for a three-pointer from the deep right corner (which circled the rim), it was Venter, who was all over the Lyons' junior guard from Watertown.

"I'm known for my defense," said Venter, who also had four rebounds in 28 minutes of duty. "I had to guard Coppola, their big scorer, that last one (shot), I got up there to defend it."

Coppola finished with 18 points, cracking the career 1,000-point mark with a three-point field goal with 1:01 left, narrowing Emerson's lead to 57-54.

So who else would extend the margin for Emerson, then be at the bottom of the pile in a ruckus for a loose ball with single ticks on the clock? Venter. The former Hornet hit a pair of free throws with 57.9 seconds to go, then after Wheaton sophomore guard Brendan Degnan (17 points) scored on a drive to make it a three-point game, Venter hustled up a loose ball rebound, keeping it alive and taking seconds off the clock in scramble and six-man pileup.

Emerson's senior center Bryan Rouse of East Greenwich, R.I. fashioned 20 points and five rebounds, while 6-3 swingman Nathan Firn added 10. Despite 27 turnovers by Emerson, Wheaton had plenty of opportunities.

"They're a good defensive team, they get you to play fast," said Walmsley. But what undermined Wheaton's first game on the floor were 13 first half turnovers (five on its first six possessions) and lousy shooting, 35 percent for the game, just three of 25 three-point field goals made.

Wheaton didn't score from the floor for the first 6:46 of the game, had just one lead (at 15-14), shot just 30 percent (6-for-20) from the floor, but still only trailed 27-22 at the break. The Lyons scored the first six points of the second half, taking their lone lead at 28-27. But, Emerson then went on a 16-6 surge, a Venter tap-in starting the spree and his 16-foot jumper creating a 41-36 lead.

"We're a good shooting team, but we have to make shots," added Walmsley. "They're (Emerson) good at taking one guy (Coppola) away. It was ugly. We did a good job defensively on him (Shannon), but if you double him, they have shooters around him."