FINAL SCORE: Vermont 73, UAlbany 61
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Ryan Davis led a balanced UVM attack as Vermont (16-4, 8-0 AE) secured its 10th-straight victory by defeating UAlbany (9-12, 5-4 AE) 73-61 on Monday night at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts register a 10-game winning streak for the sixth time under Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker and the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"It was a hard-fought win tonight in a really good, physical game," Becker said. "The first half was kind of back-and-forth and then at the start of the second half we turned the ball over five times in the first couple of minutes of the half. After that first four-minute time out I thought we really settled down and played really tough. I thought that Isaiah (Powell) was the difference tonight for us - he just played a really, really, really, tough, physical game. Then Ryan (Davis) continued to be consistently really good. Ryan had 17 points and you have to look at the stat sheet to really realize how efficient he really is and it's a quie, dominating performance night in and night out."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The longtime conference foes traded baskets in the early minutes of the contest. Isaiah Powell tallied an early five points for the Catamounts who were knotted up at 11-11 with 14:06 left in the opening half. Vermont grabbed the lead when Robin Duncan banked in a triple shortly after. The UVM lead grew to as large as five points after an Aaron Deloney trey that put the Cats up 21-16 with 8:23 remaining.
• UAlbany responded with an 8-3 run over the next 4:19 to tie the game up once again at 24-24. Ryan Davis quickly took the lead back for the Catamounts, cashing a three with 2:43 remaining. The senior's triple sparked a 10-2 run that put Vermont up by eight for the largest lead of the opening half. The late offense was key in UVM taking a 34-29 lead into the locker room.
• The Great Danes pressured the Catamounts coming out of the break, forcing four turnovers and doubling up Vermont's scoring to take its first lead since the first four minutes of the game. Trey Hutcheson hit back-to-back threes for UAlbany to take a 45-42 lead with 12:41 left in regulation.
• UVM and UAlbany were in a tight battle for the middle part of the second half, before the Catamounts rattled off a 16-2 run to take a commanding 65-51 lead with 3:38 remaining. Ben Shungu and Powell fueled the run with seven points each as Vermont hit 7-of-9 attempts from the field in a 5:42 span. The 14-point lead was UVM's largest of the night, and put the game out of reach.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Davis led the Vermont attack with 17 points on an efficient 6-for-8 shooting night. The senior hit all three of his field goal attempts in the second half for the Catamounts. Davis also pulled in five rebounds and drew a team-high four fouls.
• Shungu had 16 points, five rebounds, and three assists. The UVM guard hit 7-of-12 attempts from the floor and cashed in a pair of threes. Shungu registered 14 of his 16 points in the second frame.
• Powell racked up 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and registered a team-high seven rebounds and five assists. The senior hit 2-of-3 three attempts from long range.
• Justin Mazzulla also registered double figures for the Catamounts, going 4-for-7 from the floor and 1-for-3 from deep. The fifth-year senior also cashed in a 2-of-2 attempts from the free throw line.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to COTS, the Committee on Temporary Shelter, as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

UP NEXT
Vermont closes out its three-game homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 2) when it hosts NJIT at Patrick Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. The America East matchup will broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. 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