LEICESTER, Mass. – The Southern Vermont College men's basketball team lost its first meeting against Becker College Tuesday night, 88-51, at the Leicester Gym in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) matchup.
Mountaineer senior captain Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) scored a game-high 20 points, but it was not enough as all five starting Hawks reached double-digits including junior guard Mike Russell (East Hampton, N.Y.) who went 4-5 from 3-point range in the first half.
The Hawks jumped out to an early lead that the Mountaineers were unable to recover from. Becker freshman Rashaun Liggon (Elizabeth, N.J.) added 11 of his team-high 17 points in the first half to push the score to 48-21 at the break.
Southern Vermont picked up the pace in the second half, but BC continued to be efficient from the floor to increase its lead to the 88-51 final.
Mountaineer sophomore guard Travis Severs (Bennington, Vt.) added 17 points and two steals while freshman guard Jacob Schongar(Lansingburgh, N.Y.) contributed six rebounds and three blocks. Freshman forward CJ Hagler (Chicago, Ill.) grabbed six rebounds and added a steal and assist off the bench for SVC.
Liggon made six of seven shots and added seven rebounds with three steals while junior guard Tyler Roberson (Irvington, N.J.) nailed six of ten field goal attempts to match Liggon's team-high. Sophomore forward Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, Conn.) was a force inside, with 12 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Junior guard Mike Russell (East Hampton, N.Y.) added 12 points, and sophomore guard Lee Brockett (Waterbury, Conn.) chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Southern Vermont (0-17 overall, 0-9 NECC) next looks to 3 p.m. Saturday when it welcomes NECC opponent Daniel Webster College to the Mountaineer Athletic Center. BC (10-7 overall, 6-2 NECC) looks to avenge a January 8th loss when the Hawks visit Newbury College Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip; the Nighthawks snapped Becker's 37-game conference winning streak earlier in the season.