BENNINGTON, Vt. – A 25-point performance by senior captain Taeshon Johnson (Charlotte, N.C.) could not propel the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team over visiting Becker College Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action as the Hawks downed the Mountaineers 75-64.
Becker was led by sophomore forward Yahmad Rountree (Waterbury, Conn.) who recorded game highs of 27points and 10 rebounds while Hawk junior guard Tyler Roberson (Irvington, N.J.) followed with 20 points and added seven assists.
The Mountaineers started in front with help from sophomore captain Jermaine Campbell (Bridgeport, Conn.) laying in a pair of baskets for the 6-2 edge. Hawk sophomore Donovin Ford-Hayes (Windsor Locks, Conn.) came right back down and responded with a 3-pointer to close the gap.
Southern Vermont continued to hit shots on the offensive end, but Becker was able to bounce back and tie the score four times in the first five minutes, the last being off a jumper from Rountree to make it a 12-12 contest. The Hawks then took their first lead of the game with a Roberson layup following a missed shot by Johnson at the 15:26 mark.
Down 22-16, SVC scored seven unanswered to regain the lead with a huge long ball by freshman guard Jacob Schongar (Lansingburgh, N.Y.) as 8:25 was left to go in the half. The teams swapped buckets before the Hawks went on an 11-2 run capped by a Liggon layup to go ahead 36-29 with 1:24 to play in the opening period.
A jumper from Mountaineer sophomore Tarvaris Jenkins (Chicago, Ill.) and two ensuing Liggon free throws ended the half with the Hawks ahead 38-31.
The Becker lead would not last long into the second stanza as Johnson scored seven on his own to tie it at 38-38. The Hawks responded with eight-straight to once again take the lead, finding themselves up 46-38 with 16:03 left on the clock.
A 9-0 BC run put the visitors ahead 59-45, but Southern Vermont would continue to play hard and run the ball, closing it to 66-62 after a Johnson jumper at the 5:06 mark. Becker then picked the SVC pockets and converted on Mountaineer misses for another 9-0 run down the stretch, eventually leaving with the 75-64 win.
Johnson was followed on the Mountaineers by Campbell who netted 18 and grabbed five rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals. Jenkins also hit double-digit points with 14 while adding three assists and two steals. Johnson had eight rebounds in the effort.
Ford-Hayes recorded 13 points and five rebounds on the night for the Hawks, and Liggon followed with 10 points while grabbing seven boards. The Hawks owned a 13-rebound advantage on the night.
Both teams will next play on Monday as they play games rescheduled from Saturday due to the impending winter storm. The Mountaineers (1-22 overall, 1-13 NECC) will host Mitchell College at 7 p.m. for Senior Night, and the Hawks (12-11 overall, 8-6 NECC) visit Regis College for an 8 p.m. tip.