NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – In the final game of the fall semester, the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team dropped the season rematch at Mass. College of Liberal Arts, 86-63.
Southern Vermont ran out to an early 7-0 lead with baskets from senior captain Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore Tarvaris Jenkins (Chicago, Ill.). The Trailblazers chipped away to cut the score to 9-8, but SVC continued to convert on the offensive end to stretch the advantage back out to 23-14 with help from back-to-back jumpers by freshman Evan Thompson (Rossford, Ohio).
MCLA refused to go away, going on a 24-7 run in the last 12:21 to go into the locker room ahead 38-30 despite playing a cautious defense with six fouls against the team for the majority of that stretch.
The Mountaineers had opportunities in the second half, yet the rolls did not go their way and MCLA retained the lead for the remainder of the game. The Trailblazers' half-court press gave SVC a hard time to get the offense set up and did not shy away from running the ball after defensive rebounds. High percentage looks led to a 52.8% second half from the field for MCLA which walked away with its third win of the season.
Johnson led all players with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds on the night. He and sophomore Jermaine Campbell (Bridgeport, Conn.) each had five assists; Campbell finished with nine points. Sophomore captain Travis Severs (Bennington, Vt.) knocked down two 3-pointers and a couple free throws for eight points off the bench.
Trailblazer junior Kenny Suggs (Brooklyn, N.Y.) came off the bench to lead MCLA with 18 points and 10 rebounds while juniors Ramon Viches (Boston, Mass.) and John Jones (Worcester, Mass.) each broke double digits with 14 and 11 points, respectively. Senior guard Bilal Shabazz (Schenectady, N.Y.) recorded a game-high six assists.
The Mountaineers (0-10, 0-2 NECC) return after the winter break with New England Collegiate Conference action January 8th at Daniel Webster College for an 8 p.m. tip, and MCLA (3-6) is back at it December 29th at Staten Island in the 11th annual CSI Tournament of Heroes.