FINAL SCORE: Vermont 78, Saint Michael's 58
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Aaron Deloney poured in a game-high 26 points to lead Vermont men's basketball to a 78-58 victory over Saint Michael's in an exhibition Saturday night at Patrick Gym. Four Catamounts registered double figures in the crosstown matchup.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"It was good to be out there again, with a great crowd tonight," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "It's great to play in front of our fans again. And this game is always special game for our community. Eric's a good friend of mine, and they've gotten a lot better since last year. I thought they gave us a really good game.  For us, I thought, you know, a lot of new guys, they looked nervous and sped up. It's the first game in uniform and at home, and that happens.  And as the game went on, I thought we settled in really nicely and I thought, Finn Sullivan and Aaron Deloney played terrific. And then, Perry Smith, with limited minutes, I thought kind of changed the game in the second half there. He gave us some toughness, and made some plays. We held them to 58 points, but you know, we had 17 turnovers, especially in the first half, I think we had 10 that led to 17 points for them. So, we got to take care of the ball better. But again, it's what we play these games for. And we have to credit Saint Mike's for some of that. So overall it was a good night and it was great to be back."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts carried the play early, opening the night with five quick points. UVM grabbed its largest lead of the opening half with 12:21 left in the frame as TJ Hurley sank a trey for the 21-11 advantage. Deloney led the early offense with eight points during that stretch.
• Saint Michael's began to chip away at the UVM lead, and cut it down to one possession on a three-pointer by Romar Reid. The guard's triple cut the deficit to 23-20 with 6:31 left in the half. The Purple Knights closed out the frame on a 10-0 run, with Reid sinking back-to-back treys to take a 32-32 tie into the locker room.
• Vermont exploded out of the break on a 15-4 run in the first 4:34 to take a 47-36 lead. The Catamounts converted on 6-of-7 field goal attempts, with a pair of triples mixed in. Sullivan had seven points in the UVM run.
• The Cats continued to distance thenselves from the Purple Knights as the clock winded down. Matt Veretto and Jackson Skipper scored a pair of late baskets each in the final minutes to extend the lead to 20 pts for Vermont's largest lead of the night.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Deloney's game-high 26 points came on 7-of-9 shooting. The senior was a perfect 5-for-5 from long range and converted on all seven free throws. Deloney added four assists in the contest.
• Sullivan made 7-of-11 field goal attempts en route to a 17-point outing. The guard dished out a team-high six assists and pulled in six rebounds in a little over 24 minutes of play.
• Veretto ended the night with 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his first collegiate action since 2019.
• Nick Fiorillo rounded out the quartet of Catamounts in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
• 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. Since the campaigns inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $72,000 to local non-profits.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts close out their exhibition slate on Wednesday (Nov. 2) when they host Middlebury College at Patrick Gym. Tickets for the final tune-up before the regular season are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. Wednesday night's matchup will not be streamed. Fans can listen to the action for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield 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 via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin and Bernie Cieplicki on the call.
 
McGee Automotive Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball