Men's Basketball Dealt First Conference Loss

BENNINGTON, Vt. — In a battle of teams previously unbeaten in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball action, ­Southern Vermont College took down the visiting Elms College Blazers with a 69-53 final at the Mountaineer Athletic Center Thursdaynight.

The seventh consecutive victory for the Mountaineers gives them a 14-3 overall record on the season and 8-0 mark in league play. Elms drops to 7-8 on the year and 6-1 against the NECC with the loss.

SVC junior DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Connecticut) registered a game-best 18 points to go with five rebounds and two steals while classmate Casey Hall (Albany, New York) added 12 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Junior captain Antoine White (Bethesda, Maryland) scored 11 and had five rebounds to go with a game-high four assists, and sophomore Nate Goldsmith (Seat Pleasant, Maryland) chipped in with 10 points off the Mountaineer bench.

Elms was led in scoring by junior Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Connecticut) who dropped 14 to go with three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Sophomore Conny Ihearahu(Largo, Maryland) notched 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds, and senior captain Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Georgia) scored 10 points to go with five boards.

The Mountaineers outscored EC 34-22 on points in the paint and held a 41-36 advantage on the boards. Offensive rebounds gave way for SVC to take a 23-11 edge on second-chance points, and Southern Vermont's depth paid off as the hosts' bench outscored that of the Blazers by a 34-6 tally.

EC took to an early lead as a Lockett jumper preceded a 2:45 stretch of scoreless action, the end of which had the Blazers ahead 4-2. Hall knocked down a jumper to tie the game, but Lockett got a layup to go on the ensuing possession to regain the lead. But Southern Vermont then took to a 7-0 run with Hamlet scoring the first five points of that stretch to give the Mountaineers an 11-6 advantage.

The two sides continued to battle as the Blazers kept the game in reach until going in front 16-15 after scoring six unanswered points. Momentum shifted to Southern Vermont at that point of the game, however, with the Mountaineers scoring six straight to take a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night. The last of those came via a three-pointer by Hamlet on a dish by White. Less than a minute later, SVC sophomore Davante Jordan(Great Mills, Maryland) fed Goldsmith who drilled a three off the inbound pass for a 24-18 lead. That sparked a 10-0 SVC run that gave the hosts a cushion they would carry for the rest of the contest.

As time waned in the opening period, Southern Vermont opened up its lead with consistently-successful trips down the floor. White fed Goldsmith for another three-pointer, the nothing-but-net basket putting the Mountaineers up 36-20. A pair of free throws by Blazer junior Tim Putnam (Windsor Locks, Connecticut) made it 40-25 in the closing seconds of the half as the Mountaineers took the 15-point lead to the locker room.

SVC didn't let up after the break, keeping its distance as Elms tried to get the deficit to single digits. Buchanon knocked down a deep three from about six feet behind the arc, and he then followed with another jumper to make it 49-36 in favor of the Mountaineers. That would be the closest the Blazers would get, however, with the Southern Vermont offense continuing to click on the other end of the court.

Southern Vermont junior Jeff James (Bowie, Maryland) made a nice pass to Hall who knocked down a jumper, and White then found junior William Bromirski (Cambridge, New York) who swished a trey for the 59-40 lead, SVC's biggest of the night. The two squads traded baskets down the stretch with the Blazers never able to close the gap, and the Mountaineers walked out of the MAC with their undefeated conference record intact.

The Mountaineers continue the home stand on Saturday with a 3 p.m. tip against Regis College; that day, SVC will celebrate the American Cancer Society's Coaches Vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Weekend in an effort to raise money for the ACS. Elms is off untilTuesday when the Blazers host Daniel Webster College for a 7 p.m. conference start.