Lyndonville, VT - Vermont State University Lyndon graduate student Gregory Gonyea Jr. (Dolgeville, NY) topped the 1,500 mark for his Lyndon career in tonight's North Atlantic Conference men's basketball game against Thomas College. It wasn't enough, however, as the Hornets fell to the Terriers, 109-96, on Senior Night at Stannard Gymnasium. With the win Thomas improved to 9-14 overall and 8-8 in NAC play. Lyndon fell to 7-16 on the season and 5-11 in conference.
Gonyea entered tonight's game with 1,494 career points, the most by any Lyndon player in the modern era since Lyndon joined the NAC and rejoined the NCAA. It took him little time to reach 1,500, as he scored six of Lyndon's first eight points to stake the Hornets to an early lead. The first half remained closely contested, until a 7-0 Thomas run in the final 35 seconds of the half sent the guests into intermission with a 53-47 advantage.
Thomas extended their advantage to 14 in the opening minutes of the second half, but Lyndon began to chip away. Wesley McIntyre's (Troy, NY) layup at the 8:22 mark pulled the Hornets to within four points at 83-79 but a quick 6-0 Thomas burst built the Terrier lead back to double figures, and the Hornets were unable to threaten the rest of the way.
Jayden Desimone topped four Terriers in double figures with 34 points. TJ Blackmon followed with 20 points and eight assists and Isaiah Godley recorded a double double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Yasmo Mohamud chipped in with 12 points.
McIntyre and Gonyea were the only Hornets in double figures, finishing with 40 and 31 points respectively. Matt Doyle (Whitesboro, NY) grabbed 13 rebounds and handed out four assists.
Prior to tonight's game, Lyndon seniors Doyle and Chad Martin (Henniker, NH), along with grad student Gonyea and assistant coach Quinn Bressler, a December VTSU graduate, were honored for their contributions to Lyndon basketball and the Lyndon campus community. They were greeted on the court by family members, friends, teammates, and coaches.
Lyndon wraps up its season with a pair of games in Maine this weekend. The Hornets will play at Husson University on Friday evening at 5:30 pm, and at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
