BENNINGTON, Vt. – A cohesive effort from the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team led to a 78-68 victory over Wheelock College at the Mountaineer Athletic Center Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action.
Four Mountaineers reached double-digits with senior captain Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) leading the way as he recorded a team-high 24 points. Wheelock senior captain Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) knocked down a game-high 29 points in the effort. Both players had double-doubles with Johnson nabbing 11 rebounds and Hudson grabbing 13 of his own.
Southern Vermont took an early 7-0 lead as Johnson bookended a 3-pointer by sophomore captain Travis Severs (Bennington, Vt.) with a pair of baskets. The Wildcats quickly responded with a 7-0 run of their own. A pair of Johnson free throws put the Mountaineers up 13-9, a lead which was soon trimmed by a three from Wheelock freshman forward Sean Semerjian (Montreal, Quebec).
Each time SVC took a lead, the Wildcats were quick to follow with a tying basket. They took their first lead of the game with 4:32 to play in the first after back-to-back layups by Hudson put WC ahead 23-21. The Mountaineers came right back with an 11-2 run capped by a jumper from freshman guard CJ Hagler (Chicago, Ill.) to give SVC the 32-25 advantage with just over two minutes to play in the opening period.
With under a minute to go and following a Severs free throw, the Wildcats turned the ball over with 1.2 seconds to tick. A Mountaineer timeout allowed SVC to draw a play which put the ball in the hands of sophomore captain Jermaine Campbell (Bridgeport, Conn.) who drained a three as time expired, giving the Southern Vermont an electric momentum and 41-28 lead going into halftime.
The second stanza saw Wheelock score on the opening possession, but SVC came right back with another 11-2 run to go ahead 54-32, the largest lead the Mountaineers would see all night. Hudson would score the first 17 Wildcat points in the second half, but WC still trailed 64-45 with 6:12 to go in the game. Wheelock finished on a 12-3 run to close the gap; however, it would not be enough as the Southern Vermont lead withstood to give the Mountaineers the 78-68 victory.
Johnson added five assists to his night as Campbell finished with a double-double of his own scoring 18 points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds; he also led all players with six assists. Sophomore guard Tarvaris Jenkins (Chicago, Ill.) recorded 13 points and three assists for the Mountaineers as Severs finished with 12. Southern Vermont had a season-high 18 assists in its first win on the year; the Mountaineers also shot 49.1 percent from the floor.
Hudson was followed on the Wildcats by Semerjian who had 13 points and six rebounds to go along with six rebounds and two blocks. Junior forward Paul Coucci (Dartmouth, Mass.) netted 12 and grabbed a team-high eight boards in the effort.
The Mountaineers (1-19 overall, 1-11 NECC) try to keep the momentum going during a 3 p.m. Saturday contest at Regis College while Wheelock (3-15 overall, 2-8 NECC) visits Daniel Webster College Saturday for a 3 p.m. tip.