FINAL SCORE: Vermont 85, NJIT 69
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Finn Sullivan recorded a career-high 28 points to lead Vermont (10-10, 4-2 AE) to an 85-69 victory over NJIT on Sunday (Jan. 22) at Patrick Gym.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Great game today, the offense was really fun," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach, John Becker, said. "Finn with a career-high 28, he shot it great. He's done a much better job being aggressive offensively. Kam, I thought, had probably the best game of his career as a Catamount and as good as he was offensively, he was, even better on the defensive end taking away there one really knock-down shooter. It was a great crowd and a really fun environment. I thought we took another step since our break, really, as we stare down the barrel here of the last 10 games this season."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts opened the game making five of their first seven field goals to take a 14-5 lead over the Highlanders with 15:24 left in the first half. Five different Catamounts got in on the scoring, including Robin Duncan who threw down his first collegiate dunk to put Vermont up 7-3 2:56 into the game.
• UVM's lead briefly extended to double-digits when Sullivan sank a three pointer to go up 17-7 with 14:32 left. NJIT responded by making eight of its next 10 field goals, including all three triples, to grab a 26-25 lead. Raheim Sullivan fueled the run with eight points.
• The Catamounts countered with a 15-4 run in the final 5:50 of the first half to take a 40-30 lead into the locker room. Sullivan led Vermont with seven points during that stretch.
• UVM grew its lead with a 16-5 run that made the score 56-35 with 14:50 left in the game. The Cats hit 7-of-10 field goals during the run, with Sullivan scoring eight points during the run that gave Vermont its first 20-point lead of the afternoon. Sullivan sank two of his six triples in the 5:11 surge by the Catamounts.
• NJIT cut the deficit to within the teens on several occasions, but UVM was able to retake its 20-point advantage. Kam Gibson caught fire in the final 6:39 of the half, going 3-for-4 from deep during that stretch for a quick nine points.
• Sullivan drilled his final three-pointer of the afternoon to set his new career-high in scoring. The fifth-year guard sank the trey from the corner in front of his bench to put the Cats up 85-59 with 2:31 remaining. The 26-point lead was Vermont's largest of the afternoon. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts were an impressive 54.2% (32-59) from the field.
• Sullivan matched a career-high six three-pointers and 10 field goals en route to his career-best 28 points. He was 10-for-17 from the field and 6-for-11 from beyond the arc. The UVM guard passed his previous mark of 25 points, set against Pepperdine in 2020 when he played at San Diego.
• Gibson recorded 18 points on an impressive 7-for-11 shooting day. The fifth-year senior was 4-for-7 from long range, and added one assist.
• Dylan Penn was an efficient 7-for-9 from the field en route to 15 points. Penn also pulled in three rebounds and dished out one assist.
• Duncan produced a team-high seven assists and six rebounds
• With tonight's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to King Street Youth Center as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $80,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.  

UP NEXT
Vermont heads back on the road Wednesday (Jan. 25) when it visits Binghamton in Vestal, N.Y. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET at the Binghamton University Events Center. The conference matchup will broadcast live on ESPN+. 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 on the call.
 
McGee Automotive Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball