BENNINGTON, Vt. – Despite being down 11 points with just over 10 minutes to play, the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team battled back for a 92-85 overtime win over the visiting Daniel Webster College Eagles Tuesday night at the Mountaineer Athletic Center in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action.
Mountaineer sophomore forward DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Conn.) led all players with 26 points while adding nine rebounds and two blocked shots to help SVC move to 4-1 in conference play, 10-4 overall. The Eagles, who were paced by senior captain Daris Cosby (Columbia, S.C.) with 24 points, drop to 3-2 in league action, 10-3 overall.
A hard-fought game from the start, Daniel Webster jumped out to an early 19-4 lead in the first 5:33 of play with help from three 3-pointers by sophomore guard Ryan Gauthier (Nashua, N.H.). SVC would respond with 10 unanswered of its own over the next five minutes, however, to cut the Eagle lead to just five (19-14). But the perimeter game would continue to be a strong aspect of the Daniel Webster game as the Eagles connected on 8-of-16 threes in the first half, opening up their lead to as many as 17 (40-23, 4:56). The two sides traded baskets through the closing minutes of the opening period with DWC taking a 46-31 lead into the break.
The Eagles shot 54.8 percent (17-31) from the floor in the first while SVC owned a slight 19-15 advantage on the boards.
In the early going of the second half, Southern Vermont sophomore captain Dolapo Olugbile (Laurel, Md.) made a huge impact as he scored the first nine Mountaineer points, but the Eagle offense continued to make plays and put the ball in the hoop as the visitors maintained its 15-point advantage with the score set at 57-42 with 14:29 to go.
As the game wore on, physical play gave way to an increase of emotion as battles in the paint led to a slew of foul calls including a technical on Eagle freshman Ray Farmer (Nashua, N.H.) right after he was called for a personal. Being in the double bonus, SVC was able to hit three of the four foul shots to cut DWC's lead to just 68-61.
After a pair from the charity stripe by Eagle sophomore guard Kevin Perez (Nashua, N.H.), Olugbile went strong to the hoop, getting the basket and the foul. Daniel Webster tried to play fast, but Hamlet was in great position to make a monstrous block on an Eagle layup attempt and subsequently grab the rebound; carrying that momentum down the floor, he squared up on the right side behind the 3-point arc, took a pass from sophomore guard Antoine White (Germantown, Md.), and drained the trey to cut the Mountaineer deficit to 70-67 and force a Daniel Webster timeout. Coming out of the stoppage, Perez missed a three and Olugbile made the ensuing layup attempt after a White rebound and pass. SVC freshman guard Rayshawn Taylor (Silver Spring, Md.) then picked the ball from Eagle senior guard David Feinstein (Londonderry, N.H.) and took it the length of the court for the go-ahead basket, causing DWC to take its second timeout in just over a minute as Southern Vermont took its first lead of the game with 4:48 to go in regulation.
Coach Faucher was able to get his team composed as the Eagles came out and found Gauthier for another from downtown, quieting the Mountaineer faithful while DWC regained the lead. A minute later, Perez put a layup through the basket to give his team a 76-73 advantage. 1:30 would tick off the clock before that score would change as neither team was able to convert on the offensive end. Taylor then found himself at the line and hit both shots to again pull the Mountaineers within one (76-75).
But shortly after the second Taylor hit, he would commit a foul that sent Feinstein to the line for two of his own. After making the front end, he missed the second, only to find the ball carom right back to him. Olugbile was forced to foul Cosby who would, in turn, make both of his freebies, giving the Eagles a 79-75 cushion. The Mountaineers ran the floor quickly before White pulled up at the top of the paint and knocked down a jumper to pull back within two. Gauthier made a jumper of his own as the final minute of play started to count down to once again put DWC up four (81-77). 13 seconds later, Olugbile went to the hoop, getting the roll while being fouled; he would finish the and-one play as SVC trailed 81-80 with 44 seconds to go.
With Daniel Webster unable to run out the time before the shot clock would expire, the Eagles were forced to put up a shot, a Perez jumper that would not go through. White grabbed the board and ran the floor, eventually being fouled by Farmer inside the arc. To the dismay of Mountaineer fans, he missed the first before DWC used a 30-second timeout. White came out of the stoppage to knock down the backend of the double bonus, and Daniel Webster couldn't get a shot off in the final six seconds as the game headed for overtime.
Hamlet wasted no time in the extra period, putting one in off the glass down low to put SVC ahead 83-81. Each team struggled at that point to put the ball in as the game went the next 2:10 with no scoring off four field goal attempts. White then ended the drought with a jumper go put the Mountaineers up 85-81. The two sides traded successful trips to the free throw line as SVC stood ahead 87-83 with 1:41 on the clock. After a layup by Southern Vermont freshman forward Blair Manners (Auckland, New Zealand) and 1-of-2 free throws by Hamlet, Taylor took a pass from freshman Brandon Casella (Pittsfield, Mass.) over the half court line and took off for an electrifying dunk that all-but-ended it for the hosts. Perez would make two more from the free throw line, but there was not enough time for Daniel Webster to get any closer than the 92-85 final.
Following Hamlet on the victors' side was Olugbile who finished with 19 points, all coming in the second half. Taylor scored 14 on the night while White added 11 points and a game and career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, just missing the triple-double with nine assists. Freshman guard Jordan Alston (Hughesville, Md.) added 12 points off the Mountaineer bench as Manners finished with seven points and seven boards.
Gauthier had 20 points on the night as three Eagles tied the team-high of seven rebounds: Farmer, Perez, and sophomore forward Anyoto Frentz (Oakland, Calif.). Perez also had 15 points while senior forward Aiden Collins (Paterson, N.J.) notched 11.
Southern Vermont finished with a 47.8 field goal percentage on 32-of-67 shooting while controlling the boards with a 53-39 rebound advantage. The Mountaineer bench outscored DWC's 22-8 as SVC recorded 42 of its points in the paint.
Southern Vermont now gears up for its 7 p.m. Thursday home game against Wheelock College while Daniel Webster looks to its 8 p.m. Thursday evening matchup with Newbury College at home.