PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Johnson State saw host Plymouth State University drill 13-of-20 3-point field goal attempts to spark a 90-50 non-conference men's basketball victory on Thursday night at Foley Gym. Johnson slides to 4-16 overall, 4-9 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) while Plymouth improves to 7-12 overall.
JSC was led by sophomore forward Bryan Hickey (Barre, Vt./Spaulding) (pictured) who scored 10 points on 5-10 shooting and added six boards while senior forward Alen Turan (Essex, Vt./Essex) tallied nine points on 4-6 shooting.
Plymouth guard Kyle Walker came off the bench to record game-high's of 14 points and seven rebounds while Brian Chergey scored 11 points and Matt Cloutier added 10.
With scored tied at 9-9 the Panthers put on an 11-0 surge capped by a Cloutier lay up to earn a early double-figure lead. Johnson would respond with a 9-2 run of their own to cut the lead to four at 22-18 with 8:44 left in the first half. But twelve first half turnovers would hamper the Badgers to get any closer at the Plymouth ran to a 38-26 halftime lead.
PSU would can 10-of-13 3-point tries in the second to pull away for the easy win despite Johnson finishing with a 35-33 rebounding advantage. Juxtaposing the Plymouth stellar shooting effort was the Badgers lackluster 1-13 3-point shooting night.
Johnson will step back into NAC action for their final five regular-season contests starting with a tilt with Thomas College on Friday, February 10 at 7:30 in Johnson. Plymouth will travel to Willimantic, Connecticut to face Eastern Connecticut State University on Saturday at 3:00 pm, a Little East Conference showdown.