Courtesy Vermont Sports Information
BURLINGTON –– The Catamounts will enter the holiday break in the win column as Vermont (8-5) defeated Lipscomb (5-7) 86-63 on Friday night at Patrick Gym.
COACH’S QUOTE
“It was a great team win tonight and a great crowd in our last game before the holidays,” said Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker. “I thought Bailey Patella and Robin Duncan were great. The energy Bailey played with made us a different team. Daniel Giddens did a great job against their big guy, and it was great to see Stef Smith get back in his offensive rhythm. It was a great all-around win for us.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Lipscomb netted the first basket of the game, but UVM answered with a 12-0 run. Ben Shungu and Anthony Lamb hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Cats a 10-point lead at the first media timeout.
KJ Johnson tied the game for the Bisons at 25-25 with 5:50 left in the first half, then the Catamounts slowly pulled away before closing the opening frame on a 10-0 run. Shungu and Smith hit consecutive treys and Patella threw down a slam for a 43-29 lead at the break.
UVM quickly went up by a 20-point margin in the second half. Everett Duncan’s layup gave the Cats a 57-37 lead with 14:46 remaining. Lipscomb pulled to within 14 at the midway point of the frame.
Duncan Demuth drilled a corner three and Anthony Lamb sank two free throws in the final minutes to give Vermont a 24-point lead, its largest of the night.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Lamb became the ninth Catamount in program history to register 1,600 career points. The senior tallied 16 points, pulled in seven rebounds, and matched a season high with four blocks.
Smith had a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting and distributed four assists. He also picked up three steals on the defensive end.
Everett Duncan was also in double figures with 12 points, which included a pair of triples.
Robin Duncan posted a career-high 11 rebounds while dishing out seven assists. The sophomore’s seven dimes matched a season high that was set at Bucknell.
Patella nearly registered a double-double with seven points and career-high nine rebounds. Eight of his boards came on the defensive end.
With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Make-A-Wish Vermont, bringing this year’s total to 108 wins and $10,800. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.
UP NEXT
Vermont closes out the four-game homestand against George Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. at Patrick Gym. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. The afternoon contest can be seen on ESPN+. Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College, on 101.3 The Game or online at Catamounts All-Access with Jake Marsh on the call.