FINAL SCORE: Vermont 78, Boston University 72
BOSTON – The UVM men's basketball trailed by double digits with 13:33 left in the game but fought back and clawed its way to a 78-72 win at former America East rival Boston University on Friday night in the regular season opener. The Catamounts start the year 1-0 while the Terriers even their record to 1-1.
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Highlights
Box Score: Web | PDF
COACH'S QUOTE
"A great win tonight in the first game of the year, just a great college basketball game," head coach
John Becker said. "I'm so proud of my team. We have some things to improve upon but we showed some toughness and we made winning plays down the stretch."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw seven ties and five lead changes. With the game tied near the 14-minute mark, BU jumped out in front with a 7-0 run before UVM responded with a 13-0 run and took a 25-22 lead with 7:18 left in the period. The regional foes traded buckets over the next three minutes but the Terriers scored nine of the final 13 points of the half, capped off by a two-handed slam by Max Mahoney in the final seconds, and held a 39-33 lead at the break.
- BU pushed its advantage to 52-42 at the 13:33 mark, but UVM regrouped and mounted a comeback. The Cats produced a 14-4 surge in a 2:27 span and tied the game at 56-56 after Stef Smith drained a three-pointer. As the clock ticked into the final minutes, Anthony Lamb hit back-to-back jumpers in the paint and gave Vermont a 74-70 lead with 33 seconds remaining. On the defensive end of the floor, Lamb made his presence felt again with a clutch block to put the game away.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Smith led the Cats in scoring with a career-high 22 points. The sophomore shot 7-of-15 from the floor and grabbed four rebounds.
- Lamb scored 19 points and added 13 rebounds for his fifth-career double-double. He also blocked four shots and tallied three steals.
- Ernie Duncan reached double figures with 18 points, including four shots from long range, and dished out five assists.
- UVM has won two of its last three regular season openers.
- 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 97 wins and $9,700.
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will head to top-ranked Kansas on Monday (Nov. 12). The opening tip is set for 9 p.m. ET. The non-conference matchup will be nationally televised on ESPN2. ESPN2 is located on DirecTV channel 209 while Dish Network viewers can tune-in to channel 143. For full cable listings, contact your local cable provider. The game can also be heard on 101.3 The Game and
1013TheGame.com with Jake Marsh on the call.
KANSAS WATCH LOCATIONS
For fans in the Burlington area, the primetime matchup can be watched at the UVM Alumni House - located at 61 Summit Street. For more information on watch locations nationwide, visit
go.uvm.edu/kansaswatchlocations. Follow the Catamounts on social media during their trip to Lawrence and all season long at on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @uvmmbb, using the hashtags
#VCats and
#ThisIsVermont.
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2018-19 Vermont men's basketball season