Box Score WATERVILLE, MAINE – The Thomas College Men's Basketball team defeated the Vermont State-Lyndon Hornets by a score of 80-71 on Saturday, December 9th.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
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The Terriers would start with an early 8-5 lead off 2 made 3-pointers from Graduate Student Cooper Wirkala and a layup from Sophomore James Phelan
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Two free throws from Wirkala and a layup from Junior Luke Gabloff would give the Terriers a 12-7 lead 5 minutes into the game
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But the Hornets would answer quickly, scoring 8 straight points to put the Hornets back in front
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The Terriers and Hornets would go back and forth for the next 8 minutes, but a layup from Junior Jackson Ruelke and a big three-pointer from Junior Parker Desjardins would give the Terriers a 5-point lead with 5 minutes to go in the first half
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The Hornets offense would come alive late in the first half, going on a 12-0 run to give Lyndon a 37-31 lead at the half
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Wirkala and Junior Metin Yavuz would get the Terriers offense going early in the second, scoring a combined 8 points in just over 2 minutes
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The Terriers would regain the lead with 15 minutes to go in the second half off a three-pointer from Gabloff and a quick layup from Ruelke, giving Thomas a 47-44 lead
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But Lyndon would continue to respond, regaining the lead again with 11 minutes to play
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The Terriers offense would gain momentum after an and-one from Wirkala, going on a 10-0 run late in the half to give the Terriers a 67-56 lead
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The Hornets would cut the Terriers' lead to just 6 points with 3 and a half minutes to play, but the Terriers defense would hold on to secure an 80-71 win
NOTABLE STATS:
COOPER WIRKALA – 22 PTS, 6 REB 2 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL
PARKER DESJARDINS – 19 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL
JAMES PHELAN - 9 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
METIN YAVUZ – 6 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
JACKSON RUELKE – 6 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 1 BLK, 1 STL
WHAT'S NEXT: The Terriers will host Lyndon for the second day of the 2-game series on Sunday, December 10th at noon.
