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ALBANY, N.Y. – The Vermont Catamounts shot 76.5 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes to fuel a strong second half effort and post an 84-76 win over Siena at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York on Monday.
Junior
Ethan O'Day was perfect from the field (8-for-8) scoring 20 points, two shy of his career high, to lead Vermont. Freshman
Trae Bell-Haynes posted his second straight double-digit scoring game adding 16 points off the bench.
The Catamounts picked up their fifth straight victory over the Saints in the series. Vermont shot a sizzling 68.4 from the field for the game and missed just four baskets in the second half to out score the Saints 48-39 in the second stanza.
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Box Score (.pdf)CatamounTV HighlightsVermont jumped out to a 12-4 lead to start the game, but Siena used a 9-0 run to take a 13-12 advantage, its first of the game, at the 14:22 mark. The Saints pulled out to a five point lead after consecutive 3-pointers by Rob Poole and Evan Hymes, with 9:30 remaining.
Vermont climbed back to within two on a three-point play by
Dre Wills, but the Saints extended the lead back to six, the largest by either team in the first half, at the 7:17 mark.
Kurt Steidl hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Catamounts to even the score up at 30 with just over four minutes remaining in the stanza and Vermont took a one-point lead with 1:22 showing on the clock. But the Saints would re-take the lead at the break, 37-36, on a pair of free throws by Poole in the closing seconds.
Siena used a 9-3 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer from Poole, to push its lead to seven in the opening minutes of the second half. Vermont kept coming back, closing to within one on a layup by O'Day at the 15:10 mark.
The Saints tried pulling away again, pushing out to a nine-point advantage, the largest of the game by either team, 56-47, on a 3-pointer by Ryan Oliver with 12:34 left.
Vermont used a 22-3 run over the next five minutes to finally grab the lead for good. Bell-Haynes capped the comeback effort with a three-point play at the 8:09 mark to give the Catamounts a 65-59 advantage.
The Saints closed to within one, 72-71, on a pair of free throws by Poole, but UVM answered with six straight points, four from Bell-Haynes, to extend the lead to seven with under a minute remaining.
UVM closed out the game going 6-for-8 from the foul line to secure the victory.
Poole led all scorers with 22 points (12-for-12 from the foul line) and Hymes chipped in 15 points to pace the Saints.
Vermont evens its record to 1-1 on the season, while Siena falls to 0-2.
The Catamounts host Southern Vermont College in their home opener of the 2014-15 season on Wednesday (Nov. 19) at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at
UVMathletics.com, in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office located on the balcony in the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby, via the phone at 802-656-4410 or in person starting at 6 p.m. in the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby the day of the game.
The game will be streamed online in HD for free via
CatamounTV.com and can be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM (online:
1013ESPN.com) with A.J. Kanell calling the action.
NOTES: O'Day had the best shooting percentage (8-for-8) by a Catamount since
Luke Apfeld '14 set a new school record for consecutive field goals made against Towson on 12/23/11 (11-for-11) … O'Day and Bell-Haynes combined for 26 of UVM's 48 second half points … The school record for best field goal percentage in a single game is .750 (27-for-36) vs. Dartmouth on 11/28/77, Vermont shot 68.4 percent (26-for-38) tonight … The two teams combined to shoot 76 free throws in the game – UVM: 27-for-38/Siena: 34-for-38 … Four Catamounts fouled out of the contest … Vermont dominated the Saints in the paint, out scoring Siena 42-16 overall and 24-4 in the second half alone.