Lyndonville, VT - The Vermont State University Lyndon men's basketball team earned a hard fought 89–73 North Atlantic Conference victory over Vermont State University Johnson on Saturday afternoon at George W. Stannard Gymnasium.  The Hornets snapped a four-game skid, improving to 6-10 on the season and 4-5 in conference play.  The Badgers remained winless in 16 games, including ten conference outings.

With Lyndon holding an early 7-6 lead, Johnson went on a quick 7-1 run to take what would be their biggest lead at 13-8.  Lyndon responded with six points of their own, retaking the lead on Max Kocha's (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) basket.  After the teams battled back and forth the next several possessions, Dylan Hosford (Richfield Springs, NY) drained a three-pointer to give the Hornets an 18-17 advantage and a lead that they would never relinquish.

Lyndon gradually extended their advantage and pushed the lead to double figures when Wesley McIntyre (Troy, NY) connected on a three-pointer to make it 35-25, Lyndon, with 2:18 to go in the opening half.  Johnson was able to trim the lead to three before a McIntyre free throw sent Lyndon to the locker room with a 38-33 lead.

The Hornets were able to maintain their advantage in the early stages of the second half and eventually pushed the lead back to double figures on a McIntyre jumper, making it 57-47 with 12:01 to go.  A pair of Jason Baker free throws brought Johnson back within six, 75-69, at the 5:52 mark, but the Hornets would outscore the Badgers  14-4 the rest of the way.

McIntyre delivered a standout performance for the Hornets, pouring in a game-high 34 points on 12/17 shooting.  Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) and Kocha each added 12 points, with Kocha chipping in six assists and three steals.  Christian Hathorn (Wilder, VT) chipped in 11 points while Ty Bates (Hartwell, GA) and Matt Doyle (Whitesboro, NY) grabbed eight rebounds apiece.

Baker paced the Badgers with 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 19.

Saturday's game was played in honor of Ben Lyons, a former Lyndon basketball player who was tragically killed in July of 2024.  All proceeds from the game went to the Ben Lyons Memorial Jam Scholarship.  Anyone wishing to donate to the scholarship may do so online.

Lyndon will return to action  next Saturday when they take on Lesley University in another NAC matchup.  That game will be played at Lexington High School in Lexington, MA, and tip off at 2:00 pm.