Nashua – The tandem of Derrick Cenicola (Hamilton, N.Y.), Taeshon Johnson (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Lance Spratling (Pittsfield, Mass.) combined for 59 points leading Southern Vermont College past host Daniel Webster, 80-71 in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) men's basketball matchup Tuesday night at the Mario Vagge Gymnasium.
Cenicola buried six three-pointers on the way to 20 points, Johnson hit for 20 and Spratling knocked down 19 with nine rebounds and a game high seven assists as the Mountaineers (14-8, 8-3 NECC) won their third straight.
Ben Naaktgeboren (Cambridge, N.Y.) added a double double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Keith Speed (Columbus, Ohio) paced the Eagles (10-11, 4-7 NECC) attack with 17 points while Chris Hanson (Salem, Mass.) added 15 points on five three-pointers, while Eric Suarez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) notched a double double of 13 and 10 caroms.
John Hickson (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in with eight points while Chris Voukides (Salem, N.H.) notched seven.
The game was back-and-forth throughout featuring six ties and 17 lead changes. DWC had led by as many as 10 (16-6) in the early minutes of the first half but the Mountaineers would steadily chip away and eventually use a 10-0 run over a span of three and half minutes that turned a 22-15 deficit into a 25023 lead and SVC took a 41-37 lead into the break.
A Naaktgeboren layup gave the visitors their largest lead of the second (60-55) with 11:18 to go but a quick 6-2 Eagle run behind back-to-back layups from Speed pulled DWC back within one with 5:56 to go.
A Hanson trey would later tie it at 67 and a Roufus Louf (Salem, Mass.) layup put the hosts ahead by one (69-68) with 4:51 left.
But Naaktgeboren again converted inside and after an Eagle miss, Johnson followed with a 10-foot jumper and Naaktgeboren would give the Mountaineers breathing room putting back his own miss inside for a 74-69 lead with 1:46 to go sealing the win.
The Eagles close out their regular season home schedule on Thursday night hosting Elms College in a NECC matchup tipping off at 7:30 p.m.
Southern Vermont visits Becker College in a NECC tilt on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.