Lyndonville, VT - Vermont State University Lyndon rallied from 32 points down with 16 minutes remaining in Tuesday's North Atlantic Conference men's basketball game against Lesley Univerisity to get within four points.  the Hornets were unable to get over the hump, however, falling 104-98 in their conference opener.  Lyndon fell to 1-3 on the season while Lesley improved to 2-7 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Lesley closed the first half on an 8-0 run to take a seemingly safe 29-point advantage into halftime.  The Lynx lead was 32 following a pair of Moses Semuhoza free throws at the 16:04 mark of the second stanza.  However a 27-4 Lyndon run over the next six and a half minutes cut the Lesley lead back to single digits at 82-73 with 9:36 to go.  The Hornets continued to chip away and cut the deficit to 100-96 following a pair of Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dollgeville, NY) free throws with just over a minute remaining.  The Hornets forced a Lynx turnover but were unable to convert, and Lesley hung on for the win.

CJ Leonard topped five Lynx in double figures, finishing with 20 points.  Jaron Johnson added 18 points while Jaxon Miles chipped in with 15.  Ryan Ellis pulled down a game high 11 rebounds.

Gonyea led all scorers with 29 points.  Wesley McIntyre (Troy, NY) added 21 points and six rebounds.  Max Kocha (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) and Christian Hathorn (Wilder, VT) added 13 points each, with Kocha grabbing six boards and Hathorn notching five assists.

The Hornets will go on the road for a pair of NAC contests this weekend.  On Friday evening they will play at the State University of New York at Cobleskill.  They will then follow that up with a 1:00 tip at the State University of New York at Delhi on Saturday.