Lyndonville, VT - Vermont State University Johnson held off Vermont State University Lyndon, 88-80, in the consolation game of the annual Vermont State University Tip-Off Classic on Saturday afternoon. Johnson improved to 1-2 on the season while Lyndon remained winless in three outings.
The game was tightly contested throughout the first half. Raymond Baka's inside basket and a Nazir Gossette three-pointer staked the Bagers to an early 5-0 lead. Lyndon responded, and when Levi Spina (Frankfort, NY) found Aiden Trapani (Deltona, FL) for a transition layup, Lyndon had its first lead at 8-7. Johnson quickly regained the advantage on a pair of Baka free throws.
The Badgers nursed a small lead until Tyese Harris (Fort Benning, GA), converted a free throw to tie things at 29-29 with 6:32 to go before halftime. The teams battled back and forth until Baka's steal and dunk just before halftime sent Johnson into intermission with a 38-37 advantage.
The Badgers opened the second half with a quick 8-0 burst to push their advantage to 46-37 less than two minutes in. A Calder Horowitz-McCadden (South Burlington, VT) layup broke the run, but Johnson was able to maintain a lead of six to nine points over the next several minutes.
With Johnson holding a 57-50 lead and under 12 minutes remaining, Lyndon produced a quick burst of their own. Horowitz-McCadden started things with a jumper. Peyton Olsen (Middleburgh, NY) followed with a three-pointer, then found a cutting Isaac Davis (Barre, VT) for a layup to tie the game at 57. The Badgers responded with a quick 9-0 run capped by a Gosssette three-pointer, and the Hornets were never able to draw even the rest of the way.
Gossette had 32 points to top four double figure scorers for Johnson. Baka finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds, while Travis Baker and Gerald Pitts chipped in with 13 and ten points respectively.
Owen Traynor (Rutland, VT) and Olsen tied for scoring honors for the Hornets, each tallying 19 points. Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) also reached double figures with ten points. Harris dished out seven assists against no turnovers and grabbed six rebounds. Horowitz-McCadden also grabbed six boards.
Traynor and Baka were named to the Classic All-Tournament Team, along with Brian Thompson and Kyle Philistin of Framingham State University and Jaylon Calvin of Vermont State University Randolph. Framingham defeated Randolph, 79-70, to capture the Classic championship. Jonathan Noel of Framingham was named the Classic's Most Outstanding Player.
The Hornets are off until next weekend, when they will travel to the Hamilton College Thanksgiving Tournament. Lyndon will square off against Neumann University in the tournament opener, Saturday afternoon at 5:00 pm. Host Hamilton will take on SUNY Morrisville in the Saturday nightcap, with consolation and championship games scheduled for next Sunday.
