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HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Ethan O'Day scored a game-high 17 points to lead five Catamounts in double figures as Vermont posted an 85-81 victory over Hofstra in the first round of the CBI Tournament at the Mack Sports Complex. Vermont improves to 19-13 overall, while Hofstra ends its season at 20-14.

On the 10th anniversary of Vermont's first men's basketball postseason win in school history, a 60-57 overtime victory against Syracuse in the 2005 NCAA Tournament, the Catamounts won a postseason game for the fourth time in program history and the second time in UVM's CBI Tournament history.
 
The Catamounts move onto the quarterfinal round of the CBI Tournament for the second time in school history. For the first time in the men's basketball program's history Vermont will host a postseason game. UVM will face Radford at Patrick Gymnasium on Monday (March 23) at 7 p.m. (see ticket information below).
 
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Vermont, which led wire-to-wire, built a 12-2 lead to start the game and led by seven, 30-23, with 4:23 left in the first half. Hofstra closed the stanza with a 7-3 spurt to slice the lead to three, 33-30, as the teams headed into halftime.
 
The game remained tightly contested and a two-possession game throughout much of the second half. Leading by one with 8:55 left in the game, UVM used a 9-2 spurt to open up an eight-point lead on the Pride with 6:29 showing on the clock. Vermont extended its lead to 11 with 3:25 remaining.
 
Hofstra used an 11-4 spurt to climb back within four with 1:24 left and trailed by two after a 3-pointer by Juan'ya Green with 48 seconds showing. O'Day went 1-for-2 in two consecutive trips to the line to help Vermont hold off the Hofstra and pick up the victory.
 
Vermont shot 72.2 percent from the field in the second half alone (16-for-22) and finished the game shooting 55.8 percent from the floor. The Pride entered the game shooting 36.7 percent from 3-point range (76th in the country), but UVM held Hofstra to 8-for-33 (.24.2%) from beyond the arc.
 
O'Day was 5-for-7 from the floor and 7-fo-r10 from the foul line to lead Vermont. Trae Bell-Haynes and Zach McRoberts added 13 points each, while Dre Wills chipped in 11 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Drew Urquhart chipped in 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench.
 
Green led four Hofstra players in double figures with 16 points and added five assists.
 
CBI MEN'S BASKETBALL QUARTERFINAL TICKET INFORMATION
The University of Vermont men's basketball team will host a CBI Quarterfinal Game versus Radford on Monday, March 23 at 7 p.m. Come and be a part of the first-ever home postseason game in UVM men's basketball history!
 
RESERVED SEAT SEASON TICKET HOLDERS AND SPONSORS
Vermont reserved seat season ticket holders can purchase the seats they held during the regular season on Thursday (March 19) starting at 12 p.m. through Friday (March 20) at 5 p.m. Tickets will be held in the season ticket holders name until close of business on Friday. Tickets need to be picked up in person. If you are unable to pick up your tickets in person and would like someone else to pick up for you, please notify the ticket office in advance via email at athletic.tickets@uvm.edu.
 
VICTORY CLUB MEMBERS
Victory Club members at the Catamount level ($1000+) and above can request tickets Thursday (March 19) until 5 p.m. by calling the Victory Club office at 802-656-0956 or emailing victory.club@uvm.edu. All requests will be filled based on established Victory Club priority and availability.
 
UVM STUDENTS
A limited number of FREE student tickets will be made available beginning on Thursday (March 19) at 12 p.m. at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office in Patrick Gymnasium. Tickets are limited to one (1) ticket per UVM ID, students must present their own UVM ID at the ticket window, and no other ID's will be accepted.
 
GENERAL PUBLIC
A public sale will begin on Thursday (March 19) at 12 p.m. in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office in Patrick Gymnasium online at UVMathletics.com.
 
TICKET PRICES:
$15 – reserved seats
$12 – general admission
FREE – students with UVM ID (500 available)