JOHNSON, VT – Vermont State University Johnson Men's Basketball hosted SUNY Poly Friday evening. Junior guard, Travis Baker, returned to action after recovering from a wrist injury that kept him sidelined since December 8th and wasted no time scoring the first basket of the game in the opening seconds. The Badgers and Wildcats traded the lead through the first ten minutes of the matchup, with four of the five starting Badgers contributing point to a 12-11 lead. An 10-0 run by the Wildcats found Johnson with a nine point deficit that would grow to 12 with 4:24 remaining in the half. The Badgers found a spark to come within five, led by Mohammed Semega's two layups alongside Raymond Baka's one and a jumper from Gerald Pitt Jr. SUNY Poly would drop a last second three to wrap the opening half at 32-24, in the Wildcats' favor.
The Badgers struck first in the second half, as David Greer followed a defensive rebound with a short jumper. Maleek View followed suit with a jumper of his own, bringing the game within four at 32-28. View continued his strong second half showing, responding to a Wildcat jumper with one of his own to see the Badgers come within three at 33-30. The pace of game remained high as the two teams battled down the stretch, maintaining intensity on both ends of the court. After finding themselves in a 13 point hole, the Badgers dug deep with an unrelenting tenacity that resulted in a 14-4 run, bringing the Badgers within three once again. Semega spearheaded this run with eight points and three rebounds in a three and a half minute stretch. Despite the effort, the Wildcats would ultimately pull away with a win at 72-58.
Notes: Semega recorded his third-straight double double and led the game with 12 rebounds.
Men's Basketball returns to the court on Saturday, February 3 as the Badgers host Morrisville State. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 pm.