FINAL SCORE: Vermont 73, Liberty 79
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont men's basketball team took a 73-79 loss against Liberty at the State Farm Field House in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Kissimmee, Florida. TJ Long led the Catamounts in scoring with 19 points, and Lucas Mari notched his first career double-double, recording 10 points and 11 rebounds.

RELATED LINKS
Box Score
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"I'm glad the way the guys battled today against a good Liberty team. We got down 16 early in the game, and guys kept battling. We couldn't string enough stops together once we started scoring it a little bit better. Credit to Liberty, they are good and really well coached. I'm really proud of the effort the guys gave today, and if we continue to give out this kind of effort and defense for the last 30 minutes, we are going to be good."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Gus Yalden scored consecutive baskets in the paint, but Liberty responded with a 13-6 run that extended through the opening four minutes, leading into the 16-minute media timeout.
• TJ Hurley would knock down a right-wing three, but Liberty continued their dominant start, getting out to a 28-13 lead with 9:46 remaining.
• Catamounts trailed 40-25 at the 4-minute media timeout. TJ Long added a couple of threes, but Liberty maintained its lead.
• Vermont went on a 7-2 run to end the half, thanks to a TJ long and a Gus Yalden layup. Vermont trailed 32-40 at halftime, with TJ Long being the leading scorer with 12 points.
• Liberty stormed out of the second half on a 7-3 run that prompted Head Coach John Becker to call a timeout.
• Vermont trailed 50-39 with 15:07 remaining as TJ Hurley hit a left-wing three-pointer.
• Lucas Mari knocked down a fadeaway jumper, and TJ Hurley got a reverse layup to go as Vermont still trailed by 11. Liberty led 63-52 with 7:41 remaining.
• Vermont was able to bring the lead to six with five minutes remaining, thanks to two Gus Yalden paint shots and a Lucas Mari three-pointer. Liberty then knocked down a three as the Catamounts still trailed 70-61 with 4:45 remaining.
• Liberty maintained the lead to close out the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Leading the Catamounts, TJ Long scored 19 points, shooting 7-for-16. Long also added five rebounds.
• Lucas Mari recorded his first career double-double, scoring 10 points and grabbing a career-high 11 rebounds.
• Gus Yalden (17) and TJ Hurley (15) were the only other Catamounts in double figures.
• Momo Nkugwa contributed a team-high two steals.
• Sean Blake recorded a team-high five assists.
• Vermont outrebounded Liberty 33 to 26.
• The Catamounts had ten second-chance points compared to Liberty's four.

UP NEXT
UVM will continue to play in the ESPN Events Invitational Tournament in the Adventure Bracket. The Catamounts will face off against Rhode Island on Tuesday, November 25. That game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The radio broadcast will available via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.

 
Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of 2025-26 Vermont Men's Basketball Season