CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – A late marginal lead was squandered as the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team fell 64-55 at the hands of Wheelock College on the Wildcats' home floor Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action.

                Mountaineer senior captain Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) led all players with 26 points and grabbed eight points in the effort while Wildcat senior captain Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) led Wheelock with 22 points and earned the double-double with a game-high 10 boards.

                While the first half was tightly contested, Wheelock found itself ahead nine with minutes to go in the period. SVC was able to cut that to four going into the break.

                Southern Vermont came out in the second half to grab a lead, eventually going up six midway through the stanza.  Wheelock refused to go away as the Wildcats regained the advantage and held on for the win.

                Mountaineer sophomore captain Travis Severs (Bennington, Vt.) followed Johnson with 12 points and sophomore Tarvaris Jenkins (Chicago, Ill.) had eight points and eight rebounds.

                Two Wildcats hit double-digit points in addition to Hudson as junior forward Paul Coucci (Dartmouth, Mass.) recorded 15 and freshman forward Sean Semerjian (Montreal, Quebec) finished with 14.

                The Mountaineers (0-15 overall, 0-7 NECC) continue their NECC schedule Saturday at 2 p.m. at Newbury College, and Wheelock (3-11 overall, 2-4 NECC) is back at it Saturday when it visits conference foe Becker College for a 3 p.m. game.