Southern Vermont Outlasts Men's Basketball

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball squad battled hard, but ultimately fell to visiting Southern Vermont College, 79-75, in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) contest at Picknelly Arena Thursday night.

The opening minutes of the first half set the tone as a back-and-forth matchup with the team finding themselves knotted at 12-12 with 13:47 remaining in the first half. The Mountaineers grabbed control over the next six minutes with a three pointer from sophomore guard Brandon Casella (Pittsfield, Mass.) handing SVC a 24-18 lead. The Blazers rallied back with a 17-6 run, fueled by eight points from junior guard Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.), to grab a 35-30 advantage with 4:56 on the clock. Six straight points from junior forward Deshawn Hamlet (Hartford, Conn.) regained a 36-35 lead for Southern Vermont,  as the Mountaineers closed the frame on a 14-2 run to take a 44-37 lead into halftime.

The Blazers quickly tied the game at 44-44 at the 18:12 mark after five consecutive points from senior forward Kenny Lockett (Atlanta, Ga.). The teams jockeyed for position, going shot-for-shot over the next eight minutes of play, tying the game at 49-49. The Mountaineers grabbed control over the next five minutes behind a 9-4 run to build a 58-53 cushion. Elms battled back and a pair of free throws from Lockett, knotted the match a final time at 58-58 with 5:43 to play. Hamlet single-handedly kept the Blazers at bay, scoring 15 consecutive points for Southern Vermont in a span of four minutes to maintain a 73-69 lead for the Mountaineers. A three-pointer from Lockett with 28 seconds on the clock pulled Elms to within a possession, 74-72. Southern Vermont knocked down five of six free throws down the stretch to secure the 79-75 win.

"I thought it was a great game tonight," said Elms Head Coach Rob Southall. "It was a great atmosphere, both team played hard, and played well. In the end, they made a couple more free throws than we did. We did a good job executing offensively, we got the people the ball who we wanted to take shots, and we did a good job making those shots. We just want to finish on a positive note, and come out and play the right way against Lesley."

Buchanon paced the Blazers with a team-best 25 points, shooting 10-of-23 from the field, with six rebounds and two steals. Lockett netted 22 points with five rebounds, while sophomore Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) grabbed a game-high eight rebounds with six points.

The Mountaineers were led by Hamlet with a game-high 26 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the floor and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line, with five rebounds. Sophomore guard Nate Goldsmith (Seat Pleasant, Md.) poured in 16 points off the bench, hitting 4-of-5 three-pointers. Senior forward Dolapo Olugbile (Laurel, Md.) had seven points, five rebounds and two blocks in the win, and junior guard Antoine White (Bethesda, Md.) dished out a game-high seven assists with five points in the win.

The squad finished even in rebounding with 29 boards apiece. The Blazers converted 25 points off SVC turnover, while the Mountaineers bench outscored Elms, 33-12, during the contest. The Blazers connected on  45.2% (28-of-62) from the floor, including 33.3% (6-of-18) from three-point range, and 61.9% (13-of-21) from the foul line. Southern Vermont shot 54.3% (25-of-46) from the field, 52.6% (10-of-19) from three-point, and 79.2% (19-of-24) from the charity stripe.

The Blazers move to 10-13 in the standings, and 9-6 in the NECC, while Southern Vermont improved to 21-3, and remain unblemished, 15-0, in conference play. Elms will play their regular season finale against Lesley Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The Mountaineers travel to Daniel Webster for their final regular season game Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

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