BENNINGTON, Vt. – Five players reached double digits in scoring for Southern Vermont College as the Mountaineers knocked off visiting Newbury College 86-58 Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball action at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.
The win brings Southern Vermont's league record to 2-1 (8-4 overall) while the Nighthawks drop to 0-3 in NECC play, 0-11 on the season.
The Mountaineers were paced by sophomore forward DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Conn.) who tallied 15 points to go along with five rebounds while sophomore forward Dolapo Olugbile (Laurel, Md.) was right behind with 14 points, adding eight boards to his night.
Newbury was led by a 26-point performance from senior guard Eric Watson (New Rochelle, N.Y.) who also recorded six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
SVC jumped out to an early 12-2 lead in the opening five minutes after an Olugbile layup, but the Nighthawks responded with seven unanswered points to bring it back to a three-point game. The Mountaineers would regain the momentum with an 8-0 run of their own, bringing their lead to 20-9 with 11:44 to go in the first. With the score standing at 30-23 in favor of SVC after a Watson lay-in, the hosts scored the next 15 points in the closing five minutes of the half to give them a comfortable lead that would prove to be too much for Newbury to overcome.
Olugbile and Hamlet had 11 points apiece in the opening frame with Olugbile notching seven boards. Southern Vermont was able to stay out of foul trouble and keep NC off the free throw line, only committing six personals in the first. The Mountaineers shot a 51.4 percent clip from the field en route to the 45-24 halftime lead.
A 14-point differential would be the closest Newbury was able to trim SVC's lead to (51-37) as the Mountaineers continued to convert on the offensive end and keep the Nighthawks from mounting a comeback. Southern Vermont saw a balanced scoring effort in the second half with 10 players hitting baskets. NC junior forward Christina Sheridan (Chicago, Ill.) dropped 11 points off the bench in the stanza, but it would not be enough to get the visitors back within striking distance as Southern Vermont went on to the 86-58 final.
SVC freshman guard Rayshawn Taylor (Silver Spring, Md.) scored 12 points on the night as both junior forward Izzy Melton (Silver Spring, Md.) and freshman guard Brandon Casella (Pittsfield, Mass.) notched 10 points off the Mountaineer bench. Melton added six rebounds while freshman forward Blair Manners (Auckland, New Zealand) led the team with 10 boards off the pine. Sophomore captain Antoine White (Germantown, Md.) helped facilitate the offense with a game-high six assists, and junior guard Jermaine Campbell (Bridgeport, Conn.) added five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Watson was followed on the Newbury side by Sheridan who finished with 16 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Sophomore guard Earl Hassell (New Haven, Conn.) added 10 points while freshman guard Ceejae Carter (Dorchester, Mass.) recorded a team-best nine boards.
SVC held Newbury to just 26.9 percent shooting from the field on the night, finishing with a 46.2 percent clip of its own. The Mountaineers owned a 52-38 advantage on the boards and dominated in the paint, outscoring the Nighthawks by a 38-18 margin.
Southern Vermont takes back to the road Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. league tip at Lesley University, being played at Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge, Mass., while the Nighthawks turn to their Saturday NECC matchup at home against Becker College set for 2 p.m.