Men’s Basketball Swat Away the Hornets

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The MCLA Men's Basketball team returned from their winter break this afternoon, welcoming the Vermont State University-Lyndon Hornets to the Amsler Campus Center Gymnasium. Senior Quentin Gittens scored his 1,000^th career point, and senior JoJo Garcia finished with a double-double as the Trailblazers dominated the Hornets, 96-73

THE BASICS:

• Date: Friday, January 3, 2025
• Score: VTSU-Lyndon 73, MCLA 96
• Records: Vermont State University-Lyndon 4-8 (NAC 1-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 2-10 (MASCAC 0-0)

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lyndon jumped out early, building an 11-6 lead with just over five and a half minutes off the clock on a layup by Gregory Gonyea, Jr.
• The five-point lead would be the Hornets' largest of the afternoon because MCLA charged back to take the lead at 16-15 on a three-point shot from junior guard Jake Bluestein (San Diego, CA).
• After a jumper from Max Koch put Lyndon ahead by one, graduate student forward Jackson Brown (Latham, NY) sunk a pair of free-throws to put the Trailblazers back in front for good with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half. MCLA finished the half on a 25-12 run to go into the locker room up 41-29 at the half.
• Senior guards JoJo Garcia (Henderson, NV) and Quentin Gittens (Pittsfield, MA) scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, to ensure the Hornets never got closer than the 12-point deficit they opened the half with.
• With a pair of free throws late in the second half, Gittens also crossed the 1000 career point barrier.
• Garcia picked up his third double-double of the season, and second in three games, with 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Gittens (14 points), sophomore guard Hayden Morris-Gray (Port Jefferson Station, NY) (14 points), Brown (12 points), and junior guard Craig Williams (Dover, DE) rounded out the quintet of Trailblazers with double-digit point totals.
• Gonyea finished the afternoon with a game-high 23 points for Lyndon, while Matt Doyle had a team-high seven rebounds, including six on the defensive end.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Field Goals / %: VTSU-Lyndon 22-59 / 37.3%, MCLA 27-59 / 45.8%
• 3 Points / %: VTSU-Lyndon 4-20 / 20%, MCLA 10-28 / 35.7%
• Free Throw / %: VTSU-Lyndon 25-37 / 67.6%, MCLA 32-44 / 72.7%
• Rebounds: VTSU-Lyndon 34, MCLA 48
• Points off Turnovers: VTSU-Lyndon 12, MCLA 22
• Second Chance Points: VTSU-Lyndon 5, MCLA 12
• Points in the Paint: VTSU-Lyndon 32, MCLA 34
• Bench Points: VTSU-Lyndon 21, MCLA 30

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when they travel to Fitchburg State for a MASCAC matchup with the Falcons at the FSU Recreation Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m.

STAY CONNECTED:

For the latest on MCLA Athletics, follow the Trailblazers via our social media platforms on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter).