College Hoops: UVM Men and Women Sweep Hartford

Posted on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

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WEST HARTFORD, CT. –– Ryan Davis scored the game-winning layup with four seconds left on the clock to give Vermont (19-6, 9-1 AE) a 69-68 win over Hartford (13-12, 6-4 AE) on Saturday afternoon. The Catamounts extended their overall winning streak to nine games.

COACH’S QUOTE
“It was a great game tonight and Hartford played really well, especially Traci Carter and Malik Ellison, who were tough to guard,” Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. “We made enough plays in the second half and Benny found Ryan wide open on the last play to get out of there with a win.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hawks drilled their first five field-goal attempts and jumped out to a 14-4 start. The Catamounts closed the gap to 14-9 with corner three from Everett Duncan and a layup by Stef Smith.
Hartford responded with an 8-0 run and stretched its lead to 22-9 with nine minutes left on the clock. UVM clawed back into the game with 12 unanswered points, including seven points from Smith in a two-minute stretch, as the Cats drew with 22-21.
The two foes traded buckets for the ensuing six minutes but Vermont grabbed a 28-26 lead with a minute and a half remaining in the half after Duncan beat the shot clock with another triple. The 28-26 score stood for the Green and Gold heading into intermission, capping off a 17-4 run.
The Catamounts opened the final frame on an 11-2 spree and built a 45-37 advantage near the 14-minute mark. UVM kept the margin to a near 10 points but Hartford trimmed the deficit to 57-55 with six minutes to play.
As the game came down to the wire and the Cats leading 67-66, Carter drove to the foul line and drained the go-ahead jumper. Vermont answered on the other end of the floor when Ben Shungu found a wide-open Davis under the basket and the sophomore banked in the go-ahead score. The Hawks tried to push the ball up the floor as the clock approached triple zeros but stepped on the sideline for the costly turnover.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Duncan racked up a season-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The redshirt senior knocked down 4-of-7 attempts from long range and dished out two assists.
Davis followed with 16 points for his third straight double-figure scoring effort. He shot a similar 6-of-10 from the field and pulled down seven boards, including five on the offensive glass.
Smith added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and canned three triples.
Ben Shungu was the fourth Catamount to record double digits with 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
The Green and Gold have reached the win column in their last seven road games.
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 23 wins totaling $2,300. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

WHO’S NEXT
Vermont will host twin state rival New Hampshire on Wednesday (Feb. 12) at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. All of the action 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.

BURLINGTON –– Josie Larkins had a game-high 19 points as the Catamounts led wire-to-wire defeating Hartford 62-51 in the Catamounts annual Military Appreciation game presented by Milton CAT. With the win UVM improved to 5-6 in conference this season while the Hawks fell to 0-11.

COACH’S QUOTE
“We stayed the course to get a nice home win against a gritty Hartford team,” said Mayer Women’s Basketball Head Coach Alisa Kresge. “We got off to a strong start but when Hartford made their run we had players step up and make plays. The crowd was awesome and helped us get over the top in the fourth quarter. Now we must prepare and work really hard in practice for our two road trips this week.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Catamounts opened the game on a 10-2 run keyed by two three-pointers from Hanna Crymble. She added two free throws to make it eight points in the opening 4:17 of game action. UVM stretched its lead to 12 with an 9-0 run later in the frame. Emma Utterback had four points in that stretch, the Catamounts took a 19-9 lead to the second quarter.
The Hawks responded early in the second quarter, Jada Lucas scored the first five points of the quarter as Hartford used an 8-0 run to get back in the game. Josie Larkins and Delaney Richason connected from downtown to help UVM take a 29-23 lead to the half.
The Hawks outscored Vermont 11-9 in the third quarter but they weren’t able to sustain any runs. The Catamounts held its lead to at least four throughout the frame. Utterback had a team-high three points in the quarter. UVM took a 38-34 lead to the final ten minutes.
The Catamounts scored the first six points of the fourth quarter including four points from Richason to take a ten-point lead with seven minutes to go. The Hawks responded with a 6-0 run to cut the UVM lead to four once again. In three minutes of game time UVM went on another 10-0 run with five points from Larkins to seal their fifth conference win of the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Delaney Richason set new career highs with three blocked shots and four assists. As a team, the Catamounts blocked six shots.
The Catamounts are now 10-5 this season when they have 13 or fewer turnovers. This afternoon UVM turned the ball over 11 times but scored 14 points of Hawks turnovers.
The Catamounts swept the regular season series against Hartford for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign.
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 22 wins totaling $2,200. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

NOTES
The Catamounts special edition Nike jerseys are being auctioned off you can place your bid at UVMathletics.com/Auctions. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Fallen Heroes Memorial Fund. Bidding will close on Saturday, February 15 at noon.

WHO’S NEXT
The Catamounts hit the road this week for an early tilt with New Hampshire on Wednesday (February 12) at 11 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to the contest on WVMT AM 620/96.3 FM with Maura Sheridan on the call.