FINAL SCORE: No. 1 Vermont 82, No. 2 UMBC 43
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont men's basketball team (28-5, 17-1 AE) captured its league-best ninth America East Championship, defeating No. 2 UMBC (18-14, 11-7 AE) 82-43 in the conference title game on Saturday at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts have earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
RELATED LINKS
CatamounTV Highlights
Postgame Press Conference
Box Score: Web | PDF
Photos
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts sank seven of their first eight shots of the game to grab a 16-7 lead before the first media timeout. Finn Sullivan and Ryan Davis led the early attack with six points each. Vermont's lead reached double-digits before the midway point of the opening frame when Isaiah Powell made a layup for a 22-11 lead with 10:41 left in the half.
• UMBC brought the game back to within single digits on buckets from Keondre Kennedy and Szymon Wojcik, but the Catamounts answered with 13-4 run to take a 37-20 lead into the break.
• UVM's offense continued in the second half, as the Cats stretched their lead to 20 points for the first time with a Sullivan three-pointer. The UVM guard registered his 14th point of the day to put Vermont up 46-24 with 17:09 remaining. The Catamounts would grab a 28-point lead with 11:38 left on the clock.
• Robin Duncan extended the UVM lead to 31 points with a left-handed layup that put the Cats up 67-36 with 7:44 left in the game. The senior's basket was in the midst of a 13-0 Vermont run that put an exclamation point on the Catamounts' performance.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts reach the 28-win mark for only the second time in program history. With the victory, Vermont caps off a perfect 16-0 mark at Patrick Gym this season.
• UVM shot 58.7% (37-of-63) from the field, and held UMBC to a 27.8% (15-of-54) shooting percentage.
• Davis posted a game-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. The America East Player of the Year was a perfect 2-for-2 from long range and picked up five rebounds.
• Ben Shungu tallied 19 points for the Catamounts, going 9-for-17 on the day. The South Burlington, Vt. native dished out one assist, and registered a game-high three steals. Shungu, Powell, and Nick Fiorillo each pulled in a team-high six rebounds.
• Sullivan was also in double figures with 14 points on an efficient 5-for-8 shooting day. The UVM guard made 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc and matched Shungu's game-high three steals.

AWARDS

• Ben Shungu was named the 2022 America East Championship Most Outstanding Player, averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and a 55.3% field goal percentage in the playoffs.
• Shungu, Davis, and Sullivan were also named to the league's All-Championship Team.

UP NEXT
The Catamounts have punched their ticket to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Vermont will learn its opponent and location on Selection Sunday, which will air live on CBS at 6 p.m. ET. Visit UVMathletics.com for game information. Fans can request tickets for the first round of the NCAA Tournament at UVMathletics.com/Tickets. The deadline to submit a request is 9 a.m. ET on Monday (Mar. 14).  
 
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball