BENNINGTON, Vt. — The Southern Vermont College men's basketball had to erase multiple deficits Saturday afternoon while taking to a 70-66 win over Regis College in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) action at the Mountaineer Athletic Center.
SVC stays perfect in conference play, improving its record to 9-0 against the NECC and 15-3 overall. The Pride fall to 9-7 on the year and 4-3 in the league with the loss.
Junior DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Connecticut) registered a game-best 19 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds, and senior captain Dolapo Olugbile (Laurel, Maryland) followed with 16 points, four boards and four blocked shots. Junior captain Antoine White(Bethesda, Maryland) tallied 10 points and four rebounds while dishing out a game-high five assists.
Regis saw four players hit double digits in scoring with sophomore Sam Jean-Gilles(Melrose, Massachusetts) tallying 13 points to lead the Pride. Junior Jeff Tager Jr. (Brockton, Massachusetts) scored 11 to go with four assists and two steals while junior Chris Keaton(Beverly, Massachusetts) and sophomore Chris Leaks Jr. (New Haven, Connecticut) each chipped in with 11 points off the RC bench. Junior captain Jordan Monts (Springfield, Massachusetts) scored nine points to go with his game-high eight rebounds in the effort.
The Mountaineers finished with a shooting percentage of 49 (25-51) while going 6-17 from three-point range (35.3 percent). Regis shot at a 21-58 clip from the floor (36.2 percent) with a 6-14 performance from deep (42.9 percent). Southern Vermont edged the Pride 32-26 on points in the paint while the teams tied with 12 points apiece in points off turnovers. RC's 10-6 advantage on offensive boards laid way for a 10-4 Pride advantage on second-chance points, and SVC's bench outscored that of Regis by a 26-22 margin.
The hosts had all the momentum in the early going with a pair of three-pointers accompanying two Mountaineer blocks to keep the Pride off the board. Regis finally got its offense clicking and took its first lead of the day at the 14:57 mark of the opening stanza when Monts knocked down a trey from the right side to make it 9-8. The two sides traded baskets until Hamlet tied the game at 17-17 on his third attempt after grabbing a pair of offensive boards, but the Pride then scored seven unanswered points to go up 24-17 with just under five minutes to play in the first.
After another Hamlet layup, Jean-Gilles scored four straight to put his team on top 28-19, the Pride's largest lead of the day, with 3:06 to play in the period. That would be the last RC basket of the first half, however, as SVC stormed back with an 8-0 run to close out the frame and go into the locker room down just 28-27. Olugbile had seven of those Mountaineer points while going 3-3 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes.
The Southern Vermont senior captain carried his momentum into the second half, knocking down a jumper near the free throw line on SVC's first possession to regain the lead. Although, it would not last for long as Regis answered with five straight points to go back in front. The Mountaineers chipped away and tied it up on another Olugbile layup, but Keaton responded by knocking down a three-pointer from the left side of the arc to put his team back ahead. Another Keaton three over a minute later put the Pride on top 43-37 as the two squads continued to battle.
Early fouls in the second half put Regis in the bonus with 14:03 to go, but the Mountaineers would not allow that to deter them from continuing to play aggressively. Full-court SVC pressure forced a Pride turnover, and Hamlet turned it into an easy two to make it 43-39. Regis maintained its edge through the midway of the half with Monks and Leaks Jr. making baskets to keep their team ahead. That's when a Hamlet layup started an 8-2 SVC run that ended with a huge game-tying three by sophomore Nate Goldsmith (Seat Pleasant, Maryland) with 6:25 left on the clock.
The lead would trade hands six times over the next four minutes with neither team able to keep the momentum. A floater in the lane by SVC junior Jeff James(Bowie, Maryland) tied things at 54-54, but a Leaks Jr. layup on the ensuing Pride possession put his team back up by two. The Mountaineers once again had an answer as junior William Bromirski (Cambridge, New York) spotted up and knocked down a three from about 10 feet behind the line to give his team the 57-56 edge. Coming out of an SVC timeout, however, Tagger Jr. got a layup to go for the Pride to go back on top.
Olugbile once again gave Southern Vermont the upper hand with a put-back, but Pride junior Hector Heredia (Lawrence, Massachusetts) then took the ball from the left side of the perimeter and drove to the hoop, hitting a layup for the 60-59 RC advantage. That would be the last time the visitors would hold a lead, however, as SVC went in the driver's seat for good. A James layup was followed by baskets from White and Hamlet, putting the Mountaineers up 65-60 with just over a minute left in the contest.
Regis refused to go away quietly as Jean-Gilles banked a three off the glass to make it a one-possession game (67-64) with 40 ticks on the clock. Forced to foul, the Pride sent White to the line with the hopes of him missing. Those hopes were diminished, however, as the junior captain knocked down both free throws to make it a 69-64 ballgame. In a last-ditch attempt, Regis had a shot blocked, only to have senior captain Ethan Peana (Staten Island, New York) draw a foul and go to the line. After he knocked down both ends of his bonus opportunity, White was once again fouled and sent back to shoot free throws. He would only convert on the back-end, giving RC a final desperation chance to tie it.
Tagger Jr. missed a layup, but the rebound went off a Mountaineer and gave the Pride one final inbound pass. Keaton took the ball and put up a three from the left side, trying to get the foul call in the process; the shot didn't go while no foul was called, and Southern Vermont celebrated its 70-66 victory.
The day also served to celebrate the American Cancer Society's Coaches Vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Weekend with coaches on both sides joining others around the country to help raise awareness and funding for the ACS.
Southern Vermont is now off until next Saturday, January 31 when the Mountaineers pay a visit to Lesley University for a 2 p.m. start. The Pride are also at LU for their next game, traveling to play the Lynx on Tuesday at 8 p.m.