Courtesy Vermont Sports Information
CATONSVILLE, Md. –– The Vermont men’s basketball team had four out of five starters reach double figures in a 74-50 win at UMBC on Saturday afternoon. The Catamounts improve to 11-6 overall and even their conference record to 1-1.
COACH’S QUOTE
“We’ve been trying to establish some depth all season long and I thought our rotations were really good today,” Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. “When we’re playing well, we’re holding teams to 50 points or less and have four or five guys scoring double figures.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Catamounts jumped out to an 11-1 advantage in the opening 4:16, fueled by four points apiece from Everett Duncan and Daniel Giddens.
UVM kept its double digit lead for the next six minutes until UMBC chipped away and drew within 20-18 at the 8:10 mark.
Duncan netted five of the team’s ensuing seven points to pad the advantage back to a 10-point margin. The Retrievers went on a 9-0 run to close out the half, but the Cats still led 35-29 at the break.
The Retrievers hung around to start the second half and kept the score within a two-possession game by the first media timeout, but the Green and Gold produced eight unanswered points.
UMBC’s Ricky Council III responded by canning a deep three, but Vermont countered with another 10-0 run and pushed its lead to 61-42 with seven minutes left on the clock.
In the final six minutes of the contest, UVM’s defense never let UMBC draw any closer than a 16-point margin.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Duncan scored a game-high 15 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. He finished the game with three triples and grabbed six boards.
Stef Smith followed with 14 points, collected four boards, and doled out two assists.
Anthony Lamb also reached double figures with 12 points and pulled down seven boards.
Ben Shungu was the fourth Catamount to score 10-plus with a season-high 11 points.
UVM improves to 34-7 all-time against UMBC and has won 24 out of the last 27 meetings.
With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to a Vermont charity, bringing the 2020 total to 3 wins totaling $300. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support, protecting Vermonters since 1828.
WHO’S NEXT
Vermont will continue its two-game road trip at Binghamton on Wednesday (Jan. 15). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at BUBearcats.com. The conference matchup will be streamed on ESPN+ with a paid subscription. 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.