FINAL SCORE: UMBC 66, Vermont 55
CANTONSVILLE, Md. – Vermont had its eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of UMBC with a 66-55 loss on Friday evening. The Catamounts finished the regular season with a 10-4 record. The Retrievers wrapped up the regular season with a 14-5 overall record, 10-4 mark in conference play, and will be the top overall seed in the upcoming America East Tournament.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score: Web | PDF
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"I was proud of the way the guys fought, certainly in the second half," said Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker. "We didn't play for a month and then played four games in seven days and it looked like that caught up to us. We have a couple weeks here to get some good practices in, get in the gym, get our conditioning up and gear up for the playoffs."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts made their first five field goals but committed five turnovers in the opening six minutes and held a small 12-10 lead by the first media timeout.
• UMBC held UVM scoreless for close to six minutes in the midst of a 16-2 run and held a 23-14 edge over the Cats with seven minutes left in the first half.
• Ryan Davis started to heat up from outside with back-to-back triples to help the Green and Gold draw within 25-20 at the 5:45 mark. However, the Retrievers scored nine unanswered points to close the half and led 34-20 at the break.
• The Catamounts opened the second half with eight straight points to whittle the margin down to 34-28 but the Retrievers countered with an 8-2 surge to push the deficit to 42-30 with 13 minutes to play.
• UVM scored four quick points with a layup from Stef Smith and two free throws from Aaron Deloney but UMBC stretched its lead to 48-34 with 10 minutes left on the clock. The Cats continued to fight back with six points, including four from Justin Mazzulla, and came within 48-40 with six minutes remaining in the contest.
• In the last five minutes of the game, Vermont managed to make it a nine-point game three times but could not gain any more ground before time ran out. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Davis had a team-high 15 points on 5-of-11 shooting, sank 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and gathered six rebounds.
• Mazzulla finished in double figures with 12 points including 10 in the second half. The senior hit 4-of-5 field-goal attempts and matched Davis with six boards.
• Smith netted nine points and two rebounds.  
• Despite the loss, the Catamounts earned a share of the America East regular season title. The Green and Gold have clinched at least a share of the regular season conference crown for the fifth consecutive season, the second-longest active streak in Division I behind Gonzaga's eight-year run. 
• The 2020-21 regular season conference championship is the 11th in program history and breaks a tie with Northeastern for the most in league history. 

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will be the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and has earned a first-round bye under the new format. The Catamounts will host the highest remaining seed in the America East Semifinal on Saturday, March 6. All of the action will be available on either ESPN3 or ESPN+. 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 Brian McLaughlin on the call. Visit UVMathletics.com in the coming weeks for further updates.
 
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of the 2020-21 Vermont men's basketball season