FINAL SCORE: #1 Vermont 66, #4 New Hampshire 59
BURLINGTON, Vt. – For the seventh time in the past eight seasons, top-seeded Vermont (27-6, 15-1 AE) has advanced to the Jersey Mike's America East Championship Game, defeating No. 4 New Hampshire (16-15, 7-9 AE) 66-59 in the semifinal round Tuesday night at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts advance to the title game for the tenth time in 13 seasons under Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
CatamounTV Highlights
Postgame: Coach Becker | Ayo-Faleye | Bogues
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Exciting night, great win you know we gutted it out and I thought our defense was really good all night," Becker said. "You know, second half there, we had stretches again where we just seemed to not be able to convert on some great opportunities. But you know, I thought Ileri was tremendous. 19 and 8, he made a couple of huge plays, converted a couple dunk balls. I thought that drive out of the corner where he pivoted and went up and hit a mid-range shot when we were struggling to score was huge and then he did an unbelievable job on Clarence Daniels, holding the Player of the Year to 14 points, so I thought he came up huge for us tonight."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• A slow offensive start from both teams resulted in a 3-3 tied game prior to the first timeout. Following the opening bucket by UNH, Nick Fiorillo responded with a three-pointer to knot the score with 16:42 left in the first half.
• The Catamounts gained the lead with 15:24 remaining after a pair of Shamir Bogues free throws. Sam Alamutu and Fiorillo each scored layups on back-to-back possessions following the Bogues' makes. Vermont led 9-3 with 13:54 left in the first frame.
• Bogues capitalized on his second steal of the game, punching home the two-handed slam on the fast break with 13:29 left to take an 11-3 advantage, forcing a short timeout called by New Hampshire.
• Coming out of timeout, TJ Long and Bogues orchestrated a 6-2 scoring run to gain a 17-5 edge with 11:41 left in the half. All three of the Catamount buckets were floating jump shots from midrange.
• Jaxson Baker and Ahmad Robinson scored the next eleven points for the Wildcats, going on an 11-5 run to bring the score closer, 22-16.
• Four Catamounts got buckets in a 9-6 run to combat New Hampshire's offensive push. Fiorillo's three-pointer from the middle and a layup from Alamutu put Vermont ahead by double digits, 31-20, with 2:36 on the clock for the first half.  
• Despite New Hampshire shooting 1-of-14 from three-point land, a pair of late baskets shortened the Catamount advantage before entering halftime with a 31-24 edge.
• Bogues picked up where he left off, opening the scoring for Vermont in the second half, making a layup with the right hand to put Vermont up, 33-24, early in the half.
• Aaron Deloney ignited the crowd when he drained a three pointer from the elbow with 17:38 left of the game to give Vermont a 40-24 lead.
• After Clarence Daniels scored four unanswered points, Ayo-Faleye responded with five consecutive points of his own to put the Catamounts ahead 45-28.
• A 9-3 run by New Hampshire stalled a Vermont offense that looked poised to run away with the game, still leading 48-37, with 10:12 left in the ball game.
• Vermont erased a four-minute scoring drought when Ayo-Faleye fed Fiorillo in the corner in front of the UVM bench, where he drilled a three pointer to hand the Catamounts a 51-41 lead with 7:52 to go.
• Both teams battled hard for the next five minutes, scoring back-and-forth on each end of the floor with 2:49 left to go and Vermont ahead 58-49.
• Long found Ayo-Faleye under the rim, throwing down an emphatic slam with 2:05 remaining to put the Catamounts up, 60-49.
• Vermont cut into a dangerous late 8-1 scoring run by the Wildcats after Fiorillo hit Long in full stride over the entire length of the court, cashing in on his layup attempt allowing the Catamounts to retain the two-possession lead with 0:55 left, 63-57.
• Made free-throws from Ayo-Faleye and Bogues down the stretch secured the win for the Catamounts.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ayo-Faleye scored a career-high 19 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds, two assists, and team-high two blocks. Ayo-Faleye tied a career high in three-pointers with a pair of triples.
• Nick Fiorillo tied a season-high in three-pointers made, knocking down three on the night resulting in 13 total points to go along with five rebounds, and four assists. Fiorillo also tied a career high in minutes (33).
• Bogues and Long each earned a game-high four steals to hold it down defensively for the Catamounts. Long's four steals tonight tied a career high.
• The Catamounts had the better shooting night, shooting 41.4% (24-of-58) from the field, while the Wildcats made 35.6% (21-of-59) of their attempts. Vermont also shot better from distance making 26.9% (7-of-26) while New Hampshire shot 14.3% (4-of-28) from three.
• Vermont has now won nine consecutive games in a row, tying its original season long win-streak (Jan 2 through Feb 3).
• 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
Top-seeded Vermont (26-6, 15-1 AE) will host No. 2 UMass Lowell in the 2024 Jersey Mike's America East Championship Game for the second year in a row on Saturday (Mar. 16) at Patrick Gym. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. E.T. The championship game will be nationally televised on ESPN 2 and will be available for streaming on ESPN+. Westwood One will broadcast the game on the radio around the country. Local 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 and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. Prior to Saturday's championship game, UVM Athletics will host Fan Fest 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m. on the MAC Court, located in the Patrick Gym complex.
 
AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET INFO | Release
SEASON TICKET HOLDERS can purchase their regular season seats for the championship through their online ticket account, by calling the UVM Ticket Office at (802) 656-4410, or in person at the UVM Ticket Office. Season ticket holders can purchase their regular season seats for the championship game until Wednesday (Mar. 13) at 11:59 p.m. Please contact the UVM Ticket Office at Athletic.Tickets@uvm.edu or 802-656-4410 with any questions regarding your online account or the playoff ticket claim process.
 
Sales to the GENERAL PUBLIC will begin on Thursday (Mar. 14) at 3 p.m. in-person at the Patrick Gym ticket office and online at UVMathletics.com/Tickets.  Phone orders will not be taken until all in-person customers have been assisted.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET PRICES
Courtside: $55
Padded Reserve: $45
Reserved: $40
UVM Students: Free
 
McGee Automotive Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball