JOHNSON, VT – Johnson Badgers jumped out to a 13-3 lead against the UMPI Owls on Saturday night, with junior Raymond Baka accounting for eight of those and graduate student Maleek View adding five to the run. The Owls responded with a run of their own, outscoring the Badgers 20-10 over a seven-minute span, to tie the game at 23 apiece. Five players scored for the Owls during the run, which was then broken up by a Baka layup. A three-pointer for the Owls returned the score to even with 34 seconds remaining in the first half, but a triple by Gerald Pitt sent the Johnson Badgers to the half with a 42-39 lead.
 
The teams traded baskets to open the second half, though commanding runs from both ends of the court extended the Badgers lead to 13 with 5:50 remaining before the deficit returned to zero with just 50 seconds on the clock. Tied still with 25 seconds to play, View hit a two-point jumper and followed with a block in the paint to ignite the Badgers in the game's final moments. The Badgers proceeded to hit three of four free throws in the final 10 seconds to seal a 90-85 win over the UMPI men's basketball team.

Notable highlights include Raymond Baka's impressive 34 point and 17 rebound effort, with junior David Greer contributing a double-double of his own (15 points and 10 rebounds), while Maleek View and Mohammed Semega added 13 and 14 points respectively.
 
VTSU returns to action on Tuesday, January 16 as the Badgers take on Middlebury. Tip-off is slated for 6:00 pm.