FINAL SCORE: Vermont 69, Hartford 68
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Ryan Davis scored the game-winning layup with four seconds left on the clock to give Vermont (19-6, 9-1 AE) a 69-68 win over Hartford (13-12, 6-4 AE) on Saturday afternoon. The Catamounts extended their overall winning streak to nine games.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score: Web | PDF
 
COACH'S QUOTE
 "It was a great game tonight and Hartford played really well, especially Traci Carter and Malik Ellison, who were tough to guard," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "We made enough plays in the second half and Benny found Ryan wide open on the last play to get out of there with a win."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hawks drilled their first five field-goal attempts and jumped out to a 14-4 start. The Catamounts closed the gap to 14-9 with corner three from Everett Duncan and a layup by Stef Smith.
• Hartford responded with an 8-0 run and stretched its lead to 22-9 with nine minutes left on the clock. UVM clawed back into the game with 12 unanswered points, including seven points from Smith in a two-minute stretch, as the Cats drew with 22-21.
• The two foes traded buckets for the ensuing six minutes but Vermont grabbed a 28-26 lead with a minute and a half remaining in the half after Duncan beat the shot clock with another triple. The 28-26 score stood for the Green and Gold heading into intermission, capping off a 17-4 run.
• The Catamounts opened the final frame on an 11-2 spree and built a 45-37 advantage near the 14-minute mark. UVM kept the margin to a near 10 points but Hartford trimmed the deficit to 57-55 with six minutes to play.
• As the game came down to the wire and the Cats leading 67-66, Carter drove to the foul line and drained the go-ahead jumper. Vermont answered on the other end of the floor when Ben Shungu found a wide-open Davis under the basket and the sophomore banked in the go-ahead score. The Hawks tried to push the ball up the floor as the clock approached triple zeros but stepped on the sideline for the costly turnover.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Duncan racked up a season-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The redshirt senior knocked down 4-of-7 attempts from long range and dished out two assists.
• Davis followed with 16 points for his third straight double-figure scoring effort. He shot a similar 6-of-10 from the field and pulled down seven boards, including five on the offensive glass.
• Smith added 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and canned three triples.
• Ben Shungu was the fourth Catamount to record double digits with 11 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
• The Green and Gold have reached the win column in their last seven road 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 23 wins totaling $2,300. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support, protecting Vermonters since 1828.  

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will host twin state rival New Hampshire on Wednesday (Feb. 12) at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. 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.
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 Vermont men's basketball season