University of Vermont Athletics

FINAL SCORE: Vermont 71, Northern Iowa 57
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Ben Shungu sank the first shot of the season as Vermont (1-0, 0-0 AE) went on to defeat Northern Iowa (0-2, 0-0 MVC) 71-57 in a wire-to-wire victory on Thursday night at McLeod Center.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score: Web | PDF
Photos
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"It was a great win tonight on the road against a really good Northern Iowa team," said Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker. "I thought our guys did a tremendous job of fighting all night long and executing the game plan. Defensively, we were really tough and I thought Robin Duncan and the guards did a great job coming back to rebound. It was just a great win and a great way to start the year. I'm really excited for our guys."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts grabbed an 8-2 lead in the first 2:09 of the game with Isaiah Powell and Duncan sinking their first treys of the season. The Vermont lead stretched out to nine points with UVM up 21-12 near the midway point of the first half. Ben Shungu paced the attack with eight points in the early minutes.
• Northern Iowa answered with a 14-7 run in the next seven minutes to cut the lead to two points with 4:00 left in the half. Noah Carter got the UNI offense going with six points. The Catamounts led the Panthers 33-29 at the break.
• UVM came firing out of the locker room in the second half, opening with a 20-7 run in the first 9:29. Balanced scoring fueled the Catamounts run with multiple baskets by Powell, Shungu, and Duncan. The Vermont run expanded the lead to 17 points – the largest of the night.
• Northern Iowa briefly trimmed the UVM lead back down to 10 points with 5:29 remaining. AJ Green drilled a pair of three pointers for the Panthers, but Vermont responded with a 13-10 run in the final minutes to seal the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts' defense forced 17 turnovers and held UNI to 35.8% shooting.
• Shungu's 19 points came on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. The graduate student hit 3-of-7 attempts from deep and drilled all four free throws. Shungu also picked up four rebounds.
• Powell tallied 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. The senior matched a career-high three treys.
• Duncan scooped up 11 boards for the Catamounts to match a career high. The UVM guard was an efficient 3-for-4 from the field and dished out a team-high four assists.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Foodbank as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Vermont Mutual has committed to donating $15,000 to Vermont Foodbank for the 2021 season. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

UP NEXT
Vermont continues its season-opening road trip on Saturday (Nov. 13) when it visits No. 21 Maryland in College Park. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. ET at the Xfinity Center. Saturday's game will broadcast live on Big Ten Plus, a subscription-based service. Fans can listen for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. The radio broadcast is also available online at Catamounts All-Access with Brian McLaughlin on the call.  
 
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball