College Hoops: Vermont Men and Women Complete Sweep of Albany

Posted on , updated on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

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ALBANY, NY. –– Anthony Lamb scored a season-high 33 points as Vermont (17-6, 7-1) beat conference rival UAlbany (12-11, 5-3) 86-75 on the road Saturday night. The Catamounts have finished the first half of conference play with a 7-1 record or better for the fourth consecutive season.

COACH’S QUOTE
“It was an entertaining, high-scoring game tonight,” Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. “It was an unbelievable and remarkable game for Anthony, who has been a special player for us. I know it was a special sort of homecoming for him so it was exciting to see him come back here and put on a show for us tonight.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The two rivals went back-and-forth through the first media timeout but the Catamounts managed to grab a 16-10 lead at the 14:33 mark, fueled by 11 points from Lamb.
Later in the half, UAlbany’s Cameron Healy (22 points) brought the home team within 18-15 on two free throws, but UVM pushed the lead to double digits with a 12-5 run in a five-minute stretch.
With the Cats leading 32-22 with seven minutes left in the period, the Great Danes scored 10 unanswered points to tie the game near the four-minute media timeout. In the final seconds of the frame, Stef Smith drained a triple from the top of the key. UAlbany’s Ahmad Clark (22 points) answered with one of his own from the same spot on the other end of the floor. Smith countered one more time and banked-in a half-court heave at the buzzer to give the Green and Gold a 47-45 advantage at the break.
The Catamounts carried their momentum into the second half with an 18-4 run in the first nine minutes, including 10 straight points near the 12-minute media timeout. The streak helped Vermont stretch its lead to 65-49.
UVM’s lead grew to as large as a 21-point margin but UAlbany did not go away quietly. The Great Danes used the deep ball to whittle the deficit to 78-69 with 4:22 left on the clock.
The Cats regained control and did not let the Great Danes draw any closer. The Cats stayed ahead by 10-plus for the remainder of the contest.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Lamb’s season high came on 10-of-17 shooting and a perfect 10-for-10 from the line. He buried three triples and registered three rebounds. After netting the first points of the game, he moved up to No. 6 on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,776 career points.
Smith followed with 14 points and made 4-of-5 attempts from long range. He dished out a team-best six assists and matched Lamb with three boards.
Ryan Davis reached double figures for the third time in the last four games with 13 points. He pulled down six rebounds including four on the offensive glass.
Ben Shungu was the fourth Catamount to hit double digits with 10 points.
The Class of 2020 became the second graduating class in school history to record 100 career wins.
UVM extended its season-long winning streak to seven 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 19 wins totaling $1,900. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

WHO’S NEXT
Vermont will begin the second half of conference play against Maine on Wednesday (Feb. 5). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. The game is also Fan Appreciation Night presented by National Life Group. The night will include prize pack giveaways to fans in attendance.

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 –– Hanna Crymble posted her ninth double-double of the season leading UVM with 20 points and 13 rebounds in a 52-36 win over UAlbany Saturday afternoon on Alumnae Day from Patrick Gym. With the win the Catamounts improved to 4-5 in conference this season while the Great Danes fell to 4-5.

Before the game it was announced that Betty ’93 and Paul Mayer of Shelburne gave the largest gift ever made exclusively to a UVM women’s athletics program and will permanently endow the Elizabeth F. Mayer ’93 and Paul J. Mayer, M.D. Women’s Basketball Head Coach. Alisa Kresge will serve moving forward as the Mayer Women’s Basketball Head Coach.

COACH’S QUOTE
“What a special and amazing day for our program,” said Mayer Women’s Basketball Head Coach Alisa Kresge. “Patrick had great energy today celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Alumnae Day and with a historical announcement for our endowment to our program. We see our potential when we bring this intensity for an entire game.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
Emma Utterback led the Catamounts with six points in a low-scoring first quarter. UAlbany’s Amanda Kantzy hit a three-pointer in the dying seconds of the first frame to give the Great Danes a 13-7 advantage.
In the second quarter Hanna Crymble had six points of an 11-0 UVM run as the Catamounts surged to a 23-19 halftime lead.
The third quarter was more of the same as Crymble scored the first seven points of the quarter and the first nine points for UVM in the quarter. Her layup with 4:57 left in the third quarter gave the Catamounts a 32-24 edge. A Delaney Richason three-pointer and Josie Larkins bucket helped UVM take a 10-point edge to the final frame.
The Catamounts opened the fourth quarter with the first three made field goals and never looked back. UAlbany cut the lead to 12 at one point but Larkins nailed a final shot from downtown with four seconds left in regulation to cap a 16-point win for Vermont.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
The Catamounts forced 21 turnovers and scored 20 points off the UAlbany miscues. UVM also outscored the Great Danes 9-0 in second chance points.
Vermont shot 40.7% from the field this afternoon, they are now 9-2 this season when shooting 40% or better from the field.
The 36 points were the fewest Vermont has given up to a Division I opponent since defeating UMass Lowell 60-36 on February 15, 2017.
Vermont’s 16-point win was its biggest in league play since defeating UMass Lowell 63-55 on January 3, 2019.
The Catamounts also celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day Saturday. Young girls in the community shadowed numerous staff members all over Patrick Gym including PA announcer, photographer, ticket taker, videographer, ESPN director and more. Following the game the girls had pizza with various UVM student-athletes.
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 17 wins totaling $1,700. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

WHO’S NEXT
Vermont is back in action on Wednesday (February 5) as they travel to face Maine at 7 p.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.