JOHNSON, Vt. – Five players scored in double-figures as Plymouth State University used a balanced attack to cruise past Northern Vermont University-Johnson, 89-64, in a men's basketball game at Carter Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.
 
Playing for the final time in a COVID-shortened season, the Panthers knocked down 13 three-pointers, the most since hitting 16 in a win over Castleton University on Jan. 19, 2019, to put the Badgers away.
 
Sophomore Tom Johnson (Warner, N.H.) led all scorers with 16 points while nailing four triples, while junior Manny Sanchez (Lawrence, Mass.) went 5-of-6 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from distance, to add 15 points.
 
With the game knotted at 20-20 midway through the opening half, the Panthers used a 7-0 spurt to build a lead it would not relinquish. PSU went into halftime with a 48-39 advantage, before extending the lead throughout the second half.
 
Plymouth State ends its season with a 2-2 mark, while the Badgers wrap up the year at 2-5.
 
The Basics:

• Plymouth State 89, NVU-Johnson 64
  • Plymouth State (2-2)
  • NVU-Johnson (2-5)

Top Performers:

• Plymouth State
  • Tom Johnson (16 pts, 4-8 3pt, 4 reb, 2 ast)
  • Manny Sanchez (15 pts, 5-6 fg, 3-4 3pt, 5 reb, 2 stl)
  • Dante Rivera (8 pts, 8 reb, 6 ast)
• NVU-Johnson
  • Malik Moore (14 pts, 5-7 fg, 3-5 3pt)
  • Robert Dubose, Jr. (11 pts, 3 ast)

How it Happened:

• After senior Devin Cooper (Newfield, N.Y.) put the Panthers in front, the Badgers took their only lead of the day on Malik Moore's three-pointer.
• The Panthers used an 11-3 spurt to pull ahead, 17-9, after five-plus minutes of action, with sophomore Cody Graham (Rye, N.H.) knocking down a triple to cap the run.
• The Badgers battled back to square things at 20-20, but a quick 7-0 surge, including five points from Johnson, put Plymouth State back in front.
• The hosts would get as close as three, 31-28, but PSU went 6-of-10 from the floor to close out the half with a 48-39 lead.
• Junior Dante Rivera (Methuen, Mass.) hit from beyond the arc to open the second-half scoring.
• The hosts pulled to within eight, 51-43, just over three minutes into the second half, but Johnson hit from long range as part of a 10-1 run to help PSU put the Badgers in the rearview mirror.
• Sanchez drilled a three as the lead ballooned to 22, 84-62, and the Panthers coasted through the final four minutes.

By the Numbers:

• Despite not playing for 26 days, PSU shot 53.2% and 52.2% from the field in its final two games this week.
• The Panthers went 36-of-69 from the floor and 13-of-36 (36.1%) from distance, while holding the Badgers to 36.5% (23-of-63) shooting.
• Plymouth State held a 38-33 advantage on the boards, outscored the Badgers 10-1 in fastbreak points and converted 13 NVU-Johnson turnovers into 28 points.
• Cooper and senior Gerald Fleming (Tampa, Fla.) each went 5-of-7 from the floor to finish with 11 and 10 points, respectively, while Graham also finished in double-figures with 10 points of his own.
• Fleming added eight rebounds, while Graham handed out five assists.
• The Panthers have won three straight and eight-of-nine against NVU-Johnson.