FINAL SCORE: Vermont 75, Western New England 68
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont men's basketball team took an 75-68 victory against Western New England at home Monday night in their first game of the season. TJ Long led the Catamounts in scoring with 18 points.

RELATED LINKS
Box Score
Highlights
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Nice to get a win in our first regular season game and to start 1-0 against Western New England. They were really well coached, really physical, and made the sweet sixteen last year. They have a winning mentality and that showed tonight. I thought there were some individual bright spots with Lucas' best game and to see Noah play well. Seeing David Simon and Ben Johnson play well off the bench was also good to see. Down the stretch we need to make free throws to close out the game."

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Western New England started strong with a 9-2 run. TJ Long hit a corner three.
• At the 16-minute media timeout, Vermont trailed 12-6.
• However, Vermont stormed back with threes from TJ Long and Ben Johnson, narrowing the gap to 16-15 at the 12-minute media timeout.
• Building on this momentum, the Catamounts took a 23-21 lead at the 7:39 mark, fueled by a Jackson Skipper three and a mid-range turnaround.
• The run continued with another Ben Johnson three and a Noah Barnett block, propelling Vermont on a 9-4 run to the 4-minute media timeout.
• TJ Long connected with a three-pointer as Vermont would go into the half up 37-27.
• After halftime, at the 16-minute media timeout, Vermont held a 41-34 lead thanks to two Noah Barnett post hooks.
• A TJ Hurley three and a David Simon poster dunk took the Catamounts to the 11:49 mark, UVM still hung onto the lead 50-43.
• Lucas Mari recorded his first career points off a layup as Vermont maintained a 56-46 lead with 11 minutes remaining.
• At the 8-minute media timeout, UVM led 59-48.
• At the 3:45 mark, Vermont led 67-54 after trading baskets back and forth with Western New England.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Long led with 18 points, shooting 6-13 overall and 4-9 from three.
• TJ Hurley (14) and David Simon (10) were the only other Catamounts in double figures.
• David Simon had a team-high four blocks.
• Lucas Mari recorded a team-high nine rebounds and a team-high five assists.
• Vermont outshot Western New England (52.2%) to (38.9%)
• The Catamounts outrebounded the Golden Bears 37 to 24.
• With today's Win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to the Lund Family Center through the Cat's Win, Community Win's initiative. Vermont Mutual has donated over $5 Million Dollars since launching their Charitable Giving Fund in 2014.

 
UP NEXT
UVM will next host Plattsburgh St. on Wednesday, November 5. That game will tip off at 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. 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