FINAL SCORE: Vermont 67, Bryant 57
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Vermont (16-5, 6-0 AE) defeated Bryant (13-8, 5-1 AE) 67-57 on Saturday afternoon to take sole ownership of first place in the America East standings. The Cats' win was their 21st-straight victory against conference opponents.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Great way to close out the weekend," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "Another great road win against a good Bryant team in a hostile environment. Really proud of the guys and the way they battled. Looking forward to being home next week!"
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bulldogs jumped out to an 8-2 run before the first media timeout. Tyler Brelsford and Daniel Rivera led the early Bryant attack, combining for six of their first eight points. Shamir Bogues had UVM's lone basket when he scooped up an offensive rebound and finished the putback.
• Aaron Deloney knocked down a three pointer almost immediately after the timeout to spark a 14-4 run for Vermont. Four different Catamounts scored in the run, including Ileri Ayo-Faleye who swatted away Earl Timberlake's floater and ran the length of the floor to finish a layup and give UVM a 14-12 lead – its first of the afternoon. Jace Roquemore's second field goal of the day put UVM up by four on the following possession.
• Bryant countered with six straight points to take an 18-16 lead with 8:21 left in the opening half. Timberlake's jumper was the go-ahead basket for the Bulldogs, but Nick Fiorillo answered with a layup on the following possession to tie the game just inside the eight-minute mark.
• Rafael Pinzon broke the tie with four straight points, draining a three pointer on an assist from Sherif Gross-Bullock and adding a minute later to put the Bulldogs up 22-18 with 6:46 left on the clock.
• Ayo-Faleye's free throws with 5:53 remaining in the half began an 8-0 run that gave the Catamounts a 26-22 lead. Roquemore put an exclamation point on the run when he faked a handoff and drove to the rack before throwing down a dunk with 2:04 to go.
• The Cats and Bulldogs exchanged points in the final minutes if the first half with Vermont taking a 28-25 lead into the break.
• UVM came out of halftime firing on all cylinders, opening the frame with a 9-0 run to take a 37-25 lead. Matt Veretto bookended the Vermont run with a quick layup to start the half and a three-pointer at the end, forcing a Bryant timeout.
• The Cats led by as many as 14 points when Deloney cashed in a floater from the baseline to go up 41-27 with 14:12 remaining, but the Bulldogs battled back to pull to within single digits. Doug Edert banked in a long three pointer to cut the Bryant deficit to nine points with 13:14 left.
• Vermont stretched its lead back out to double digits, using a 12-4 run to go up 53-36 with 8:12 left in the game. The 17-point lead was UVM's largest of the afternoon.
• Bryant scored six straight points to cut the Vermont lead to 11 points, but TJ Hurley answered with his second trey of the game to go up 56-42.
• Pinzon and Miles Latimer scored on back-to-back possessions for the Bulldogs to bring the deficit to 10 points with 4:33 to go.
• Execution down the stretch kept the UVM lead to 10 points or more over the closing minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Vermont defense held the league's top-ranked offense to 26 points under its scoring average. Bryant's 57 points are its second-lowest total of the season.
• Defensively, Ayo-Faleye led all Catamounts in blocks (3), and matched Roquemore with a team-high three steals. UVM had 10 steals, tallying double-digit steals for the second straight game.
• Fiorillo scored a team-high 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the field. The graduate student knocked down 5-of-6 attempts from the line.
• Deloney produced 12 points and a team-high four assists in the victory.
• Hurley also reached double figures with 10 points on a very efficient 4-for-5 shooting day.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $94,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.

UP NEXT
Vermont returns home to Patrick Gym on Thursday (Feb. 1) when it hosts UAlbany in the Rally Around Mental Health Game, presented by Redstone. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday'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