FINAL SCORE: Vermont 67, Merrimack 55
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Four Catamounts reached double figures as Vermont (1-0) opened the 2023-24 campaign with a 67-55 victory over Merrimack (0-1) on Monday night at Patrick Gym. Transfer guard Shamir Bogues recorded a game-high 19 points to lead the Catamounts in his UVM debut.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"A great win tonight against a really good Merrimack team," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "One of those games where they're unique in the fact that they play a 2-3 zone all game. They're very, very good at it, they want to limit your three-point field goal attempts and turn you over. We did a really good job of ball control, except for a couple of baseline out of bound plays early in the game that we turned over, which was uncharacteristic of us. We didn't shoot it great for two games in a row against this zone, but I thought we got good looks. The right guys are taking shots. It's something that we kind of experience sometimes early in the year, but I thought we got off to a great start. I thought Shamir (Bogues) and TJ Long in their first games were terrific, and they've been since they've gotten here. And then Sam Alamutu gave the performance that we needed tonight in a game where we were emphasizing offensive rebounding. We need as many tough guys, as many rebounders and defender as we can get to complement the offensive pieces we had."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Long poured in a three-pointer for UVM's first basket of the season to kickstart a blazing hot 19-2 run for the Catamounts. Vermont made eight of its first 11 field goals with Bogues going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field in the early minutes. Bogues' ninth point of the night gave the Cats the 17-point lead with 13:15 left in the opening frame.
• The Warriors would counter with a 12-0 run to cut the UVM lead to 19-14 with 7:23 to play in the half. Jaylen Stinson fueled the Merrimack run with eight points. Ileri Ayo-Faleye's floater ended the Vermont scoring drought, which spanned 6:51.
• Bogues scored eight of Vermont's next 13 points to help the Catamounts retake a double-digit lead. The junior knocked down a trio of free throws and Matt Veretto drained his first trey of the season to put UVM up 27-16 with 5:04 left in the half. Bogues doubled the UVM lead minutes later with a corner three at the end of the shot clock to go up 34-17 with 0:56 left in the frame. The Catamounts would take a 36-20 lead into the locker room.
• Merrimack's Devon Savage and Jordan Derkack knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to begin the second half, chipping away at the UVM lead. The Warriors would eventually pull back to within single-digits on free throws from Derkack that made the score 43-34. A layup on the following possession would cut the Vermont lead to just seven points for the first time in over 12 minutes of play.
• An 8-0 run minutes later would put the Catamounts up 55-40 with 7:49 remaining. Veretto's layup sparked the run as Vermont would score on four-straight possessions to extend its lead.
• UVM would maintain its double-digit lead over Merrimack for the remainder of the night. The Warriors pulled to within 10 points on a layup by Derkack with 3:05 left on the clock, but the Catamounts countered with makes from Long and Aaron Deloney to go up 62-47 with 2:07 to go. Deloney would score eight points in the final minutes to close out the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Bogues scored 17 of his 19 points in the first half of his Catamount debut. The junior knocked down his first six attempts from the field, and finished with a 7-for-9 shooting night. Bogues drained his lone attempt from beyond the arc and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
• Veretto tallied 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting. The graduate student drilled two treys, and led the Cats with two steals on the defensive end.
• Deloney (11 points) and Long (10 points) rounded out the Catamounts in double figures. Deloney was 2-for-6 from beyond the arc and matched a team-high three assists. Long went 4-for-10 from the field, knocking down a pair of triples.
• Alamutu recorded a career-high nine rebounds, picking up two boards on the offensive glass. The redshirt-sophomore dished out three assists, added four points, and registered one block in 21 minutes of play.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to King Street 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 returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 11) when it hosts Plattsburgh State on Military Appreciation Night, presented by Milton CAT. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET at Patrick Gym. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. All active and retired military members can receive a complimentary ticket to Saturday's game with a valid military ID.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
The matchup between the Catamounts and Cardinals will broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. An international stream will also be available on AmericaEast.TV. Fans can listen to the game 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 Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball