FINAL SCORE: Vermont 61, Albany 50
BURLINGTON, Vt. – UVM redshirt sophomore
Everett Duncan recorded his first career double-double as Vermont beat rival Albany 61-50 on Wednesday night in a rematch of last year's America East Championship Game.
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Vermont reaches the win column for the 10th straight time, improves to 17-5 overall, and keeps its unblemished league record intact at 7-0. The Cats also extended their regular season conference winning streak to 28 games and notched their 20th straight victory at Patrick Gym. Albany drops to 16-7 on the year and evens its league mark at 4-4.
UVM had four starters reach double figures as Duncan's double-double came on 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.
Trae Bell-Haynes scored 20-plus for the fourth time in the last six games with a game-high 21 points. The senior was also one of four Catamounts with at least five rebounds.
Drew Urquhart and
Payton Henson matched Duncan with 10 points and combined for 11 rebounds.
Albany also used a balanced scoring attack. Greig Stire guided the Great Danes with 14 points with seven rebounds. David Nichols added 11 points and Travis Charles tallied nine points.
The Great Danes scored on their opening possession and forced the Catamounts to keep pace. UVM grabbed its first lead of the night at the 8:41 mark after Duncan gathered an offense rebound, kicked it out to Henson on the perimeter, and Henson found nothing but nylon on a triple. Henson's three-pointer shifted momentum towards the home team as the Cats closed out the half on a 16-6 run over the final eight minutes and the Green and Gold went into the locker room with a 34-23 lead.
In the second half, the Great Danes slowly crawled back with a 14-5 run in the first nine minutes and cut the deficit to 39-37. UVM managed to avoid relinquishing the lead but Albany kept it within a two-possession game for the most of the period. With 6:45 left to play,
Ernie Duncan drained a 30-footer as the shot clock expired and helped the Cats closed out the game on a 16-7 run for the final margin of victory.
With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate another $100 to the Boys and Girls Club of Burlington, bringing this year's total to 78 wins and $7,800.
The game was also Rally Around Mental Health Night, presented by WCAX. The mental health initiative was founded by senior student-athletes Kelly Lennon (women's swimming & diving) and
Trae Bell-Haynes (men's basketball) to raise awareness and decrease the stigma for mental health issues among student-athletes. RAMH also laid the foundation for Catamount Sport Psychology and Counseling (CSPC), which provides a wide range of sport psychology and mental health services for UVM student-athletes, coaches, and staff.
Vermont will embark on a three-game road trip, beginning with Binghamton on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at
BUBearcats.com. Fans can watch the America East matchup on
ESPN3 and the watchESPN app by logging in with your television provider. All Vermont regular season games can be heard on 101.3 ESPN FM and online at
1013ESPN.com with Sam Hyman on the call.
Canon Solutions America is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 Vermont men's basketball season