FINAL SCORE: Vermont 77, UMBC 72
BURLINGTON, VT – Vermont (12-5, 2-0 AE) defeated UMBC (5-12, 0-2 AE) for the sixth time in a row following a 77-72 victory, handing UMBC their seventh consecutive loss on Thursday night at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts improved to 7-1 on Tom Brennan Court this season with the win.

RELATED LINKS
Box Score
CatamounTV Highlights

COACH'S QUOTE
"Yeah, good win tonight against a UMBC team that's hard to play because of their style, they play really fast and loose, and we did a good job for the most part," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "The good news is we're finding ways to win. That's the most important thing and that's the good news. Hopefully we can start to have a little bit more consistency game to game on how guys perform, you know. So, all we can do is just keep working, and the guys keep working and we'll figure it out."  

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Jace Roquemore saw his first start in a Catamount uniform versus UMBC on Thursday night.
• A slow offensive start for both UVM and UMBC resulted in the Catamounts grabbing an early 5-2 lead with 15:37 remaining in the first half. Ileri Ayo-Faleye got the scoring started for Vermont with a layup, followed by a TJ Hurley three-pointer.
• The Catamounts took off following the first media timeout, unleashing a 12-0 scoring run where five separate Catamounts contributed to the scoring. An assertive dunk by Jackson Skipper brought the Catamount lead to 15-4 prior to the under-12 media timeout.
• Sam Alamutu showed off his shifty layup package coming out of the timeout, scoring his first basket to bring UVM ahead 17-4.
• It was back-and-forth basketball for the next four minutes, with each team pushing the pace offensively. Brenton Mills scored a sneaky layup keeping the Catamounts up 26-14 with 7:44 left in the half. UMBC answered with a 5-0 scoring run capped off with a three-pointer by Marcus Banks Jr.
• At the 5:26 mark of the opening half, Hurley registered a remarkable four-point play, delivering on the free throw after being fouled on a corner three ball. The Catamounts took the 34-21 lead on the play.
• Nick Fiorillo made his presence known with 2:24 left in half one when he stuffed a UMBC player driving to the basket, tallying his second block of the game.
• Aaron Deloney's made jumper with 0:48 remaining brought the Catamounts' lead to a 16 points, the largest of the half, making the score 45-29.
• The Retrievers drained a late three-pointer in response to Deloney's bucket, putting the score at 45-32 in favor of Vermont heading into halftime. Matt Veretto led Catamounts in total points at halftime with ten.
• Roquemore scored first to begin the second half for Vermont, followed by a wild last second corner three-point heave from Veretto that splashed in the bucket adding to UVM's lead, 50-34. Dion Brown scored the first eight points for UMBC to start the second half.
• UMBC was able to edge out a 10-0 scoring run to come within single digits, however the run was short lived due to Alamutu cashing a layup and Fiorillo drilling a three-pointer, bringing the Catamounts' lead to 58-46.
• Max Lorca-Lloyd scored two consecutive floaters following a timeout, carrying the Retrievers to within eight. Banks followed up with a three-pointer, cutting the Catamount lead to five points at 58-53 with 10:00 to go.
• Hurley got Vermont back in offensive stride after converting a layup, his fourth bucket to that point in the game. Ayo-Faleye accompanied him by slamming home a dunk right before the media timeout giving the Catamounts a 62-55 lead with 7:54 remaining of gametime.
• Coming out of that timeout, Ayo-Faleye got the crowd buzzing after sinking two straight three-pointers, tying his career high in three pointers made. Vermont led 68-55 with 5:24 left of gametime.
• UMBC responded with two consecutive three-pointers of their own, trimming Vermont's lead to seven points, 68-61, forcing UVM to call a timeout with 2:54 left of the game.
• Alamutu responded to UMBC's late push with two straight made layups to bring the UVM lead back to double digits, up 72-61 with 1:42 remaining.
• Long closed the game out with his third triple of the match followed by an easy layup by Deloney that sealed the deal.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Cats didn't trail a single second of the game as they held the lead for a total of 37:34. 
• UVM earned the better shooting percentage going 46.2% (30-65) from the field to UMBC's 41.7% (30-72)
• Alamutu set the tone for the Catamounts in the rebound department, leading Vermont with seven total boards.
• Veretto, Hurley, and Long each cashed in three, three-pointers throughout the match. The Catamounts shot 38.7% from deep, going 12-31.
• Hurley matched a season-high 14 points to lead the Cats in scoring. 
• Vermont's bench outscored their opponent's bench 23-13. All 10 Catamounts who checked in registered points in the contest.
• Along with Roquemore's first start of the season, he also contributed a season high in minutes, playing 24:52 total minutes, tallying four points, two assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a +6 +/- rating.
• At this evening's game, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group presented King Street Center with a check for $14,300 as a part of the Cats Win, Community Win's Campaign. During 2023, Vermont Mutual donated $100 for every Catamount win and has pledged to do so again for 2024. The 2024 beneficiary of Cats Win, Community Win's is Vermont Children's Trust Foundation.

UP NEXT
Vermont's three-game home stand concludes on Saturday (Jan. 13) when it hosts NJIT in a rematch of the 2023 America East Quarterfinals. The Catamounts and Highlanders tip off at 2 p.m. ET at Patrick Gym. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Box Office on gameday. The game is presented by PC Construction.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game 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