(RANDOLPH CENTER, VT) -- Brandon Matano came off the bench for the Vermont Technical College men's basketball and scored 28 points on 10-19 shooting to help beat the University of Maine-Presque Isle, 86-77 in Vermont on Saturday.
Presque Isle's record falls to 11-13. Vermont Tech improves to 19-8.
The Owls got out to a quick start, leading 7-1 two minutes in. They held the lead until a Matano three gave the Knights their first lead, 15-14, at the 13:13 mark. The teams jockeyed for control over the next 8 minutes. with neither able to go up by more than 4 points. With the game tied at 31, the Knights started a 13-5 run in the next three minutes to go up, 44-36. Claude Louis (Jr./Union, NJ) did his best to keep the game from getting away from the Owls, scoring 5 points in the last minute to bring the Owls within five, 46-41 at the break.
At 13:58, a Patrick Manifold (Sr./Great Yarmouth, UK) jumper brought the Owls back to within five, 58-53. That is as close as the team would get the rest of the way. A Josh Lindsey jumper sparked a 14-0 VTC run that only took three minutes to complete. By the time Michael Warner (Jr./Norwich, UK) hit a free throw at 10:20 to break the string, UMPI was down 18, 72-54, and never posed a serious threat after that.
While Matano was dialing from long distance (7-11 on three's), the Knights' Josh Lindsey was a force inside, scoring 25 points in 36 minutes of play.
Manifold led all Owl scorers with 25 on 11-16 shooting. Louis made 5 three's of his own to contribute 19. Gerardo Vasquez (Sr./Houston, TX) scored 9, dished out 6 assists, and pulled down 5 rebounds.
The Owls stay in Vermont for the night and will play College of St. Joseph (VT) on Sunday at 3pm.
Game Notes
* Manifold also had 10 rebounds in the game, marking his 7th double-double of the season and third straight.
* Louis 5 three's marked the 4th time this season he's hit 5 or more in a game from downtown.
* Vasquez has led the team all season in assists. He is currently averaging 3.4 a game.
* Vermont Tech's Sam Marler pulled off a triple-double, with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.