CASTLETON, Vt. – The Johnson State College men's basketball team fell to Castleton University 64-52 in a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) contest on Sunday afternoon.
The Badgers drop to 5-8 (2-5 NAC) on the season while the Spartans improve to 7-7 (4-3 NAC).
1st HALF
The Badgers held the lead through most of the first half, but were unable to pull away as Castleton hung around and kept the lead at single digits. The Spartans hit a late layup to bring the Badger lead down to 31-25 at the break.
2nd HALF
Johnson scored the first basket of the second half on a layup by Marqwon Wynn (Wilmington, Del.) to extend its lead to 33-25, its largest of the game. Castleton went on a 14-4 scoring run, with a layup by Tondi Mushandu tying the game at 37-37 and two free throws from Taurian Archie putting the Spartans in the lead at 39-37 halfway through the second half. Wynn made two layups to keep the Badgers close, but the Spartans pulled away thanks to a 16-2 scoring run over a five-minute span, with Mushandu scoring the last six points of the run. Wynn hit a three-pointer, but Castleton answered with six straight points, capped by a steal and layup from Julian Santos, to take its biggest lead of the game at 61-44 with 1:29 left in regulation. The Spartans went on to take the 64-52 win.
JOHNSON LEADERS
Points: Marqwon Wynn – 16
Rebounds: Shakeel Irvin & Jeyquan Johnson – 5
Assists: Jeyquan Johnson – 5
CASTLETON LEADERS
Points: Tondi Mushandu – 22
Rebounds: Tondi Mushandu – 11
Assists: Jordan Nelson – 6
STATS BREAKDOWN
Field Goal %: Castleton 54.5% | Johnson 32.3%
3-Point FG %: Castleton 0.0% | Johnson 24.2%
Rebounds: Castleton 40 | Johnson 28
Assists: Castleton 14 | Johnson 10
Turnovers: Castleton 25 | Johnson 18
Points off Turnovers: Castleton 18 | Johnson 19
Bench Points: Castleton 21 | Johnson 24
NEXT UP:
Johnson will host a NAC contest against Husson at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, January 19.
Portions Courtesy of Castleton Athletic Communications