Southern Vermont Outlasts Men's Basketball

Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College men's basketball team had their five-game win streak snapped at the hands of visiting Southern Vermont College, falling to the Mountaineers, 87-83, in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) matchup at Picknelly Arena Thursday night. The Blazers move to 8-8 on the season, and 6-2 in conference play, while the Mountaineers remain unbeaten in league play (8-0) and move to 14-3 overall.

The squads exchanged buckets to open the contest, and a three-pointer from Southern Vermont senior William Bromirski (Cambridge, N.Y.) gave the Mountaineers a 7-5 lead at the 17:31 mark. Following another trey from Bromirski, Elms junior Conny Ihearahu (Largo, Md.) netted three straight points to knot things at 12-12 with 14:03 on the clock. Over the next seven minutes, the Mountaineers created separation behind a 23-10 run, sparked by 10 points off the bench from junior Nate Goldsmith (Capitol Heights, Md.), to capture a 35-22 advantage with 7:55 remaining in the first half. The Blazer battled back with a 16-5 run, spanning four minutes of action to put Elms within a possession, 40-38, with 3:26 left in the half. The Mountaineers closed the half on a 9-0 run to take a 49-38 lead into the intermission.

The Blazers trimmed their deficit to 55-49 on an 11-6 run, powered by a pair of three-pointer from senior Jerry Buchanon (Windsor, Conn.). Elms continued to close the gap, using a 15-10 run, featuring nine points from Buchanon, over the next five minutes to pull within a point, 65-64. The Mountaineers maintained their lead as Bromirski canned a pair of three-pointers to hand SVC a 73-66 advantage. A three-pointer from Mountaineers sophomore Daemond Carter (Forestville, Md.) put Southern Vermont up 81-71 with 5:18 on the clock. The Blazers battled back again, orchestrating a 9-2 run in the span of two-plus minutes to put Elms with a possession, 83-80. The Blazers had chances down the stretch but came up short on their three-point attempts as Southern Vermont escaped with an 87-83 win.

Buchanon led all scorers with a game-high 30 points, including 24 in the second half, with five rebounds. Ihearahu logged his sixth double-double of the season, posting a career-high 19 points with a career-high 17 rebounds and three blocks. Junior Symon Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.) added 15 points and four assists, while junior Trifon Bish (St. Catherine, Jamaica) netted 11 points off the bench.

The Mountaineers had four scorers in double figures, led by a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds from senior Casey Hall (Albany, N.Y.). Senior Deshawn Hamlet (Hartford, Conn.) notched a double-double with 18 points and a team-high 15 rebounds. Goldsmith scored 15 points off the bench, and Bromirski tallied 13 points, connecting on four three-pointers.

The Blazers and Mountaineers finished even in rebounding at 44-44, while SVC edged Elms in points in the paint (46-34), second-chance points (24-12), and bench points (29-13). The Blazers connected on 46.4% (32-of-69) from the floor, including 41.7% (10-of-24) from three-point range, and 60% (9-of-15) from the free throw stripe. Southern Vermont shot 43.6% (34-of-78) from the field, 36% (9-of-25) from three-point, and 71.4% (10-of-14) from the foul line.

The Blazers will look to return to the win column with a conference road trip to Daniel Webster Tuesday night for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The Mountaineers visit Regis College for a conference tilt Monday at 3:00 p.m.

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