Randolph Center, VT- Despite leading for the majority of the second half, the Falcons couldn't hang on against the 7-1 Vermont Tech Knights as they were edged 82-78 at SHAPE Gymnasium this afternoon.
It was a battle right out of the gate, as there were 11 lead changes, and eight ties throughout the contest, including a 10-point lead for Fisher and an 8-point lead for the Knights. Each team exchanged points throughout the first half as the teams remained neck and neck heading into halftime. Brandon Rembert (Camden, NJ) tallied 12 points and four rebounds for the visitors while Jhalen Lumpkins (Sacramento, CA) was a beast on the glass grabbing nine rebounds in the first half. The two teams headed to the locker room with the Knights up 42-37 after an Anthony Lewis (Lodi, CA) jumpshot to close out the half.
Fisher came out hot out of the break as they scored the first ten points of the second half capped by a Giovanni Thompson (Kissimmee, FL) lay-up to give the Falcons a 47-42 lead with 18:04 remaining. The Knights responded with a three-point shot of their own from Dashaun Johnson to bring them back within a bucket. But the Falcons were persistent and maintained their lead through the next ten minutes of play, and remained in the lead by 10 points with 5:25 left on the clock. A Knights 9-0 run in the next 2:30 mintes was the difference in the game as it brought them within one point with 2:34 remaining in the contest. A Tyrone Hilson lay-up put the Knights up 79-78 at the 1:48 mark, forcing coach Rob Blouin to use a timeout. The layup proved to be the winning basket as the Knights held on to the lead for good and went on to seal the victory 82-78.
Rembert led all scorers on the afternoon with 22 points in the losing effort while finishing with a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Thompson contributed with 18. Lumpkins finished his afternoon with a double-double as he tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Falcons. Ville Milan (Turku, Finland) had an impressive day defensively as he had four steals for his team, while also dishing out eight assists.
The men will head west this Thanksgiving as they head west to Colorado this weekend for the Colorado Mesa Tournament. The Falcons will take on Western Colorado University on Friday at 2pm, while facing host Colorado Mesa on Saturday evening at 7pm.