Men’s Basketball Suffers 77-74 Setback to Vermont State Johnson Sunday

QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College men's basketball team fell to Vermont State Johnson 77-74 Sunday afternoon at the Lahue Athletic Center.

THE BASICS:
Score: Eastern Nazarene 74, Vermont State Johnson 77
Records: Lions (6-14, 3-8 NAC) | Badgers (3-16, 2-7 NAC)

                               
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The two teams battled to a 39-39 stalemate in the first half.
• Eastern Nazarene snagged a 50-45 lead with 16:37 left in regulation on a layup by Darrell Hardge (Hialeah, Fla.).
• Vermont State Johnson strung together a 10-0 run to capture a 73-66 advantage with 3:37 remaining.
• The visitors stretched the margin to 77-68 with 20 seconds on the clock as Darone Frierson sank the first of two free throws.
• The Lions trimmed the deficit to 77-74 late in the contest as Javier Osowski-Freire (Madrid, Spain) and Xavier Depina (Whitman, Mass.) splashed treys but the Badgers escaped with a narrow victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:        

• Darrell Hardge (Hialeah, Fla.) scored 17 points to go with six assists and six steals.
• Martinie Kamga (Yaounde, Cameroon) registered a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.
• Joey Hanlon (Pembroke, Mass.) poured in nine points off the bench while Khabri Davis (Peoria, Ariz.) added eight points and five rebounds.
• Eastern Nazarene posted a field-goal percentage of 39.4% while draining 12-of-33 from beyond the arc.
• Vermont State Johnson shot 51.5% from the floor despite shooting 2-for-9 from three-point range.
• David Greer notched a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Badgers while Gerald Pitt Jr. netted 19 points.

                                                                            
LOOKING AHEAD:
Eastern Nazarene continues a stretch of four consecutive home games with a non-conference clash against Johnson & Wales (R.I.) January 25.