Johnson, VT - Sophomore guard Wesley McIntyre (Troy, NY) banked in a runner with 1.3 seconds to go in overtime to lift Vermont State University Lyndon to a 108-107 win over Vermont State University Johnson in North Atlantic Conference men's basketball on Tuesday evening. With the win, Lyndon improved to 3-1 in the NAC and evened their overall record at 4-4. Johnson remained winless in ten outings, including five conference contests.
The game was tightly contested throughout. There were 33 ties and 17 lead changes, and neither team held a lead of more than six points at any point. The Badgers took a 55-54 lead into halftime and the teams battled back and forth through much of the second half.
Joseph Gargiulo's layup off of a Lyndon turnover gave Johnson a 96-92 lead with three minutes remaining. Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) converted a pair of free throws to cut the lead in half, then after a defensive stop, Ty Bates (Hartwell, GA) scored off of a dish from Christian Hathorn (Wilder, VT) to tie thing up. After another stop, McIntyre was fouled and made the first of two free throws to put the Hornets in front with 1:34 to go. Tre Bradley answered with a three-pointer, making it 99-97, Johnson, but McIntyre converted a pair of free throws to tie it at the 1:04 mark. Both teams came up empty on their final possessions, sending the contest into overtime.
Matt Doyle (Whitesboro, NY) scored first in the extra session, but a Niv Barzilay three and a Jaylen Brown layup gave the Badgers a three-point advantage. Lyndon answered with a Gonyea three to make it 104-104 with 2:44 to go in the extra session. A Gonyea layup at the 1:47 mark put Lyndon back up two. Neither team was able to convert on their ensuing possessions, until Gargiulo was fouled with nine seconds to go. He converted the first free throw, then Barzilay rebounded the missed second shot and scored to put the Badgers in front by one and setting the stage for McIntyre's heroics. The Hornets pushed the ball up the court, and McIntyre drove from the left wing and rose up to bank the ball in. Johnson turned the ball over on the inbounds pass, sealing the win for the Hornets.
McIntyre finished with a game high 39 points, six assists, five rebounds, and three steals to lead Lyndon. Gonyea added 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists and Doyle posted a double double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Chad Martin (Henniker, NH) tallied six rebounds, six assists, and three steals, while Max Kocha (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) recorded five rebounds and four assists and Hathorn dished out five assists.
Gargiulo led Johnson with 30 points and seven assists. Mohammed Semega recorded a double double with 23 points and 14 rebounds, and also came away wiht seven steals. Brown and Barzilay also reached double figures with 15 and 13 points respectively.
The Hornets are now off until after final exams, at which time they will travel to Florida to compete in the Cruizin Classic in Miami Gardens. Lyndon's first game will be on Friday, December 19th, when they take on Saint Vincent College at 4:00 pm.
