WILLIMANTIC, Conn. --  Sophomore forward Rakesh Tibby (East Hartford) came off the bench to record career-highs with 18 points, ten rebounds and five blocked shots in 20 minutes in pacing six double-figure scorers as the Eastern Connecticut State University men's basketball team downed Northern Vermont University-Lyndon, 112-54, in a non-conference game Sunday evening at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.
 
The win is the second non-conference win in just over 24 hours for Eastern (2-2), which defeated NVU-Johnson, 83-71, Saturday afternoon at Geissler Gymnasium. NVU-Lyndon (1-1) had opened its season this past Thursday with a 92-85 victory over visiting NVU-Johnson. The Hornets were playing against Eastern without sophomore guard Peyton Olsen, who had scored 25 points in the opening win over NVU-Johnson.
 
The points are the most for Eastern in a game since a 113-63 non-conference win over SUNY Cobleskill  in the consolation game of the Union College Tournament on Nov. 27, 2016.
 
All 13 available players played at least ten minutes against Lyndon for Eastern, which shot 56.3 percent from the floor, collected a program-tying 11 blocked shots, out-rebounded the visitors by +23, and held better than a 2-to-1 scoring advantage in the paint. The Eastern reserves outscored the Lyndon reserves, 68-15.

The blocked shot total equals the record set Nov. 15, 2013 in a 90-79 non-conference home win over Worcester State University when seven players contributed at least one,  and is the highest since Feb. 24, 2017, when five players combined for ten in an 86-58 Little East home victory over Massachusetts Boston.
 
Every Eastern player scored at least two points and all but one grabbed at least one rebound and all but three contributed at least one assist.
 
Tibby, who had only eight points, three rebounds and no blocked shots in 21 minutes through this year's first three games, topped both teams in points, rebounds and blocks. He was 7-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the foul line.
 
Junior guard Thomas Close (East Hampton) came off the bench for Eastern to convert a career-high four three-pointers (in four tries). As a team, Eastern dropped in 14 three-pointers (five shy of the game record) and shot 51.9 percent from distance. Overall, Close was 5-of-5 overall from the floor and led both teams with five assists, following Tibby with 14 points.
 
Four freshmen made their collegiate debut: forwards Andrew Brown (Middletown) and Lj Hazelwood (New Britain), and guards Chris Jones (Coventry) and  Aidan O'Brien (Bolton).  Brown had four points, four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot in ten minutes, Hazelwood two points, three rebounds, an assist, block and steal in 13 minutes; Jones six points and two rebounds in 14 minutes, and O'Brien five points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals in 13 minutes.
 
Six-foot-two inch junior guard Nick Casiano (Rocky Hill) came off the bench for 12 points and recorded his first four blocked shots of the season in 15 minutes.
 
Sophomore guard Tyrese Harris topped the Hornets with 15 points while junior guard Zach Falkenburg following with ten points (six coming on six free throws).
 
Eastern returns to Little East Conference play Wednesday, hosting Rhode Island College at 5:30 p.m. The Warriors (0-2 LEC) dropped a season-opening 79-75 road decision to RIC Jan. 30 at the Murray Center.