BENNINGTON, Vt. – In commanding fashion, the Southern Vermont College men's basketball team defeated Wheelock College 101-75 Thursday night in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.

The Mountaineers, who move to 11-4 overall and 5-1 in the NECC, were led by a dominant double-double performance by sophomore forward DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Conn.) who notched 28 points and 14 rebounds to go along with five assists and three blocks. Freshman forward Blair Manners (Auckland, New Zealand) also reached a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 10 boards.

Wheelock (0-12, 0-5 NECC) saw freshman forward Anthony Williams (White Plains, N.Y.) score 22 points while freshman guard Nicholas Fenton (East Hartford, Conn.) tied the program's all-time single game assists record with 12; Kyle Pierce set the mark at Endicott College back on Dec. 2, 2010.

Right off the tip, Southern Vermont took a lead as Hamlet found freshman forward Rayshawn Taylor (Silver Spring, Md.) for an easy layup and the 2-0 lead with less than three seconds gone off the clock. The Mountaineers pushed the advantage to 10 (14-4) off a dunk by sophomore forward Dolapo Olugbile (Laurel, Md.), but Wheelock responded with five unanswered to close it down to 14-9. Two minutes later, the Wildcats cut it to a three-point game with a downtown bucket by senior captain Bunky Williams (Overtown, Fla.) following a steal.

That would be the closest WC would get, however, as Southern Vermont then went on a 15-2 run over the next 4:22 of play with the frontcourt making its presence felt. The Mountaineers then closed out the first half with a 14-2 run before Wildcat freshman guard Derek Fournier (Johnston, R.I.) nailed a three before time expired to close the opening period with SVC leading 48-32.

Southern Vermont shot 55.9 percent (19-34) from the field in the first half with Hamlet dropping 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting; he also grabbed nine boards and had two blocks in 13 minutes of play. Fenton chalked up six of his helpers as Anthony Williams had nine points in the half.

Following the break, the Mountaineers were able to sustain their cushion and eventually led by as many as 29 (87-58) after a three-pointer by freshman Brandon Casella (Pittsfield, Mass.) with 6:35 left on the clock. Southern Vermont went 18-for-31 (58.1) in the second half as the hosts outrebounded WC 24-16. The Wildcats had advantages in turnovers (14-9) and steals (10-5), but a 36.6 percent clip from the field and the effectiveness of the Mountaineers in the paint disallowed Wheelock from getting back into a fighting position.

Taylor finished the night with 18 points for the Mountaineers while sophomore captain Antoine White (Germantown, Md.) was the general of the offense, dishing out 10 assists to go with six rebounds, all on the defensive glass. Junior forward Izzy Melton (Silver Spring, Md.) added 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Anthony Williams, who led the team with seven rebounds, was followed on the Wheelock side with 15 points by Fournier who also had four rebounds and three steals. Senior captain Paul Coucci (Dartmouth, Mass.) recorded 10 points off the Wildcat bench, and Fenton added seven points and a game-best eight steals to his line.

Southern Vermont shot 56.9 percent (37-65) on the night from field goal range and had 48 points come from inside the key. The Mountaineers also controlled the boards with a 58-26 rebound advantage and made the most of their 18 offensive caroms, scoring 23 second-chance points.

The Mountaineers try to make it five straight wins on Saturday when they travel to Regis College for a 2 p.m. tilt, and Wheelock next hosts Newbury College Saturday for a 4 p.m. tipoff.