Rutland, VT- The Men's Basketball headed up to Vermont last evening for the their game against the College Of Saint Joseph Fighting Saints (5-20). Coming into the contest each team had secured a victory with the Saints winning the first matchup 82-73 on November 16, and the Falcons picking up the win in the second meeting on November 28th when they defeated the Saints 110-90. This was the first and only time the Falcons hit the century mark and looked to do it again last night. They did not hit the 100 mark, however they did not trail in the contest, shot an impressive 51% from the floor, and came away with a convincing 81-55 win over the Saints to win the season series.
The Falcons jumped out to an early lead as they went on a 9-0 run over the first three minutes of the contest, capped by two straight shots from Anthony Lewis (Lodi, CA). The Saints got right back in it pulling back to within five at 14-9 on a Charles Isaac Jr. lay-up keeping his team in it early. The Falcons had other plans and continued to put the pressure on the home team as they responded with another big run, this time a 14-2 run going up 28-11 with 8:39 left before the break. The Falcons stayed hot over the final eight minutes of the half, shooting 50% to go up 43-20 heading into the locker room. Giovanni Thompson (Kissimmee, FL) and Jhalen Lumpkins (Sacramento, CA) combined for an impressive 9 for 12 shooting in the first half, leading their team with 13 and 10 points respectively, after the first 20 minutes of play.
Fisher continued to play strong out of the break and would lead by as many as 27 points in the second going up 69-42 after a Thompson lay-up at the 7:33 mark. The Saints responded with the next five points of the game to get them back within 20, but that would be the closest they would get as the Falcons would continue to shoot well, shooting 50% in the second half as a squad, and would go on to take the 81-55 win over the home team.
Thompson led his team with a season-high 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds earning his fourth double-double of the season. Lumpkins finished with 16 points and seven boards off the bench, while starters Abrian Dickson (Indian Wells, AZ) and Kyle Snowden (Santa Cruz, CA) also finished in double figures with 13 and 12 points respectively. Snowden was two rebounds and an assist short of a triple-double as he also had eight rebounds and dished out nine in the victory. CSJ was led by Isaac Jr. who finished with 26 points, six boards and a pair of steals in the losing effort.
The Falcons finish up the regular season this Saturday as they take on Green Mountain College in the NIAC Championship.