VTC Men Easily Take Down In-State Rival Johnson
November 17, 2011

VTC Men Easily Take Down In-State Rival Johnson

Carr leads all scorers with 20

Box Score

The Vermont Tech Men's Basketball Team extended it's opening season win streak to 3 on Wednesday night by defeating local rival Johnson State College by a final of 75-46.  The Knights relied upon the veteran backcourt duo of Kevin Carr (Senior, Westminster, MD) and Alex Tyrrell (Junior, Sydney, Australia) to secure the victory. Carr, a two time USCAA All American, topped the Vermont Tech scoring column with 20 points. Tyrrell led a balanced attacking, scoring16 points, assisting on 8 baskets and stealing 5. 

Both teams started fast. Johnson State sought to establish a high tempo game, pressing the Knights full court and pushing the ball for quick shots in transition. The Knights welcomed the strategy, shredding Johnson's press and opening a ten point lead within the first five minutes. Vermont Tech's aggressive half court man to man defense aided their cause by forcing 14 first half turnovers. By halftime, the lead was a comfortable 27 points, with the score 47-20 in favor of the Knights.

Johnson State was unable to close the gap in the second half. With a commanding lead, the Knights slowed the pace of the game in the second half and cruised to the victory by a final margin of 29.

Freshmen Tevon Erwin (Albany, NY) and Luke Dutil (Barre, VT) were major factors in the victory. Erwin hit on 6 of his 7 shots for a tally of 14 points, while Dutil nailed down 11 points and 7 rebounds. 

"I think the story of this game was our team defense," said Coach Dyer after the game. "We try to measure our defensive intensity by charting the number of deflections we are able to achieve. Tonight we had 69 deflections in the game. Our goal is 40. That tells me we were playing hard. I thought the three guards we put on Andy Buusono did a great job. Kevin Phillips, Kevin Carr and Sam Randall combined to keep Andy from getting into the paint. He's a great passer. He stirs the pot for Johnson. We really focused on stopping him."

The Knights are now 3-0, 2-0 and primed to take a three game swing in New York. They start the road trip with YSCC foe Paul Smith's on Friday night, then travel to New York City to play Sarah Lawrence College on Sunday and St. Joseph's of Brooklyn on Monday. The St. Joe's game will have live stats via the Vermont Tech Website and a live webcast via the website of the host school.