BROOKLINE, Mass. – Southern Vermont men's basketball lost at Newbury College Saturday afternoon in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play, 85-56.

                The high-powered Nighthawk offense saw four players reach double-digits as they remain atop the conference with their second win over Southern Vermont this season.

                Newbury took out to an early lead with a quick pair of 3-pointers and baskets by senior forward Peterson Bernard (Boston, Mass.) and junior forward Anthony Bonelli (Narragansett, R.I.). Mountaineer senior captain Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) kept the score close by netting the first six points for SVC with a pair of layups and two converted free throws.

                Southern Vermont freshman Tyler Hess (Southwick Mass.) made a layup and then knocked down a 3-pointer after a 6-0 NC run to close the gap back to seven with the score standing at 18-11 in favor of the Nighthawks. Mountaineer sophomore Tarvaris Jenkins (Chicago, Ill.) followed with a layup to make it a five-point contest, however, Bernard responded with one of his own.

                After Johnson dropped a short bucket to make it 20-15, Newbury senior guard Tim Young (Brockton, Mass.) drilled one from long range to ignite a 10-0 Nighthawk run. As NC stood ahead by 15, the two teams went back-and-forth with hits and misses to go into the break with Newbury up 44-32.

                The Nighthawks dropped the first five points of the second half and never looked back as they shot 48.7 percent from the field on the day.

                Johnson led all players with 21 points and grabbed five rebounds in the effort. Sophomore captain Travis Severs (Bennington, Vt.) had eight points while freshman forward Evan Thompson (Rossford, Ohio) and Hess each had seven; Hess also had three steals and two assists on the day.

                Bernard had a team-high 17 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the victory. Newbury junior guard Steve Rosemond (Everett, Mass.) was right behind with 16 points, followed by junior guard Eric Watson (New Rochelle, N.Y.) with 15 and Young who recorded 12. The Nighthawks carried a 51-23 advantage on the boards.

                The Mountaineers (0-16 overall, 0-8 NECC) are back in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Becker College while the Nighthawks (9-6 overall, 7-0 NECC) will try to stay unbeaten in the NECC and go for their fifth-consecutive win Tuesday at 6 p.m. when they visit Mitchell College.