POULTNEY, VT - Jonathan Pozo became the fourth player in Villa Maria College men's basketball history to score 1,000 points as the senior guard eclipsed the century mark in a 78-66 road victory over Green Mountain College on Saturday afternoon inside the Eagle Dome.  Pozo scored six points in the team effort and helped the Vikings improve to 16-1 and win it's eight game in a row, and improve to 8-0 away from home this season.

Villa senior forward Dominic Douglas led all scorers with 21 points.  He went a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line with all 12 coming in the second half.  The Vikings out-scored the Eagles 50-37 over the final 20 minutes while shooting over 52 percent in the half.  Senior DeJaun Owens scored 15 while sophomore Lonnie Taylor added 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting, and five rebounds.  

The Vikings trailed by eight early as the Eagles raced out to an 18-10 lead less than nine minutes in.  The Vikings battled to get within one, 27-26 with 2:01 left after two free throws from junior Daniel Thompson.  After a made basket moments later by the home team, Pozo eclipsed the 1,000-point mark with three seconds left in the half, thanks in part to a wide-open layup off a beautiful pass from Thompson.

The Vikings tied the game at 33 less than three minutes into the second half after an old-fashioned three-point-play from Owens.  They took a one-point lead moments later but couldn't hold it as the Eagles went up five, 53-48, with 8:43 left.  Villa then turned it up a notch, going on an 18-0 run to swing the momentum and change the game.  They held Green Mountain without a point for over five minutes.

Douglas started the run with a layup through traffic while being fouled.  After converting the free throw attempt, he hit two more a minute later to tie the game at 53.  Owens then scored in transition before Douglas hit two more to make the score 57-53.  After forcing a turnover on the ensuing possession, junior Trayvon Holt scored two of his eight points on a stop-and-pop jumper just outside the paint.  

With 5:13 left and Villa up 59-53, Douglas once again came up big, drilling a three at the end of the shot clock to bump the lead to nine.  Four more free throws followed, as Holt and Owens each made two to push the lead to 13 and out of reach.

Junior guard Jabari Hibbert was instrumental in Villa turning it around in the second half.  The Rochester-native led the team in rebounds (6), assists (5) and steals (4), all while playing 34 minutes of tenacious defense.  He chipped in four points and had three of his four steals in the second half.

Daniel Thompson played well off the bench as well for Villa.  The junior guard scored nine points and had two assists in 17 minutes.  The Vikings forced 16 turnovers and 11 in the second half.  They held the Eagles to just 42.9 percent from the floor and 25 percent from three.  Green Mountain (10-5) came into the game shooting nearly 38 percent from beyond the arc.

WHAT'S NEXT
Villa will play the final game of a five-game road stint on Tuesday, January 15th when they travel to New Philadelphia, PA for a 5:00 p.m. matchup with USCAA II foe, the University of Kent State at Tuscarawas.

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