Waterville, ME - Northern Vermont University-Lyndon men's basketball players Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) and Justin Phillips (Phoenix, AZ) have both been recognized by the North Atlantic Conference for their play last week.  Gonyea was named the Men's Basketball Rookie of the Week and Phillips was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending January 22nd.  Phillips shared the award with Jack Kane of the University of Maine at Farmington.

Gonyea is the first Lyndon player to capture Rookie of the Week honors since Zach Falkenburg (Bridgeport, NY) was honored in February of 2019.  Phillips is the first Lyndon player ever to be named Defensive Player of the Week.

Gonyea, a freshman guard, averaged 18.3 points per game last week as the Hornets swept three games.  He started the week with a very efficient 18-point outing in Lyndon's 111-71 non-conference victory over Vermont Technical College on Tuesday evening.  In that game he went 7/10 from the floor and 4/6 from behind the three-point arc.  On Friday, Gonyea led the Hornets with 22 points and added five rebounds and four assists as the Hornets downed Thomas College, 88-72, in NAC play.  He capped the week off with a 15-point outing on Saturday as Lyndon completed the sweep of Thomas with a 102-87 win.  Gonyea shot 55.6% from the floor for the week and chipped in 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Phillips, a freshman forward, drew one of the opposition's top perimeter scorers in all three contests last week.  He also grabbed three rebounds and had a steal and a pair of blocks against Vermont Tech, and followed that up with a seven rebound, six point effort in Friday's win over Thomas.  Phillips saved his best performance of the week for last, as on Saturday he he grabbed 12 rebounds and added four steals and a block.  His defensive play ignited a 19-0 Hornet run to start the second half, allowing Lyndon to sieze control of the game.  He also contributed at the offensive end, scoring 13 points and dishing out six assists.

Gonyea, Phillips, and the Hornets will return to the court this weekend when they travel to Maine Maritime Academy for a pair of NAC contests.  Lyndon and MMA will tip off at 7:30 pm on Friday evening, then run it back Saturday afternoon at 3:00 pm.

To read the full release on this week's NAC men's basketball award winners, click HERE.