FINAL SCORE: Vermont 65, Pepperdine 56


BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont men's basketball team took a 65-56 win against Pepperdine in Malibu, CA. David Simon led the Catamounts in scoring a career-high 18 points.

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Box Score

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Pepperdine started the game on a 7-0 run until TJ Hurley sank a top-of-the-key three. Vermont was down 7-5 at the 15:59 mark.
• In the next 4 minutes of play, Vermont tied the game at 7.
• With 8:00 remaining, the game remained tied at 11 thanks to a David Simon dunk.
• At the four-minute mark, even though Gus Yalden got an up-and-under post move to go, Pepperdine led 19-16.
• TJ Long and Momo Nkugwa were each able to convert a three-pointer, but Vermont trailed going into halftime 28-26. TJ Hurley had a team-high 10 points at the half.
• TJ Long knocked down a corner three, but at the 16-minute media timeout, Vermont was down 32-29.
• Vermont went on a 14-5 run in the next five minutes of play. During that span, TJ Hurley and David Simon knocked down threes, helping the Catamounts build a 43-37 lead.
• David Simon would then go on a tear, which included an and-one layup. As a result, the Catamounts continued their dominant second half, leading 54-45 with 4:46 remaining.
• Gus Yalden scored in the paint, and Sean Blake made a layup as Vermont closed out the game with free throws.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• David Simon led the Catamounts with 18 points, shooting 8-10 from the field. He also had a team-high six rebounds and three assists.
• TJ Hurley (18) also had a team-high 18 points. He was the only other Catamount.
• Sean Blaken contributed a team-high five assists and grabbed six rebounds.
• Vermont outshot Pepperdine 44.4% to 33.3% from the field.
• The Catamounts had 23 points off the bench.
• 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 head back home and take a week break for finals week before facing off against Merrimack on Sunday, December 14. That game will tip off at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The radio broadcast will be available via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
GET YOUR GREEN AND GOLD FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON WITH 20% OFF DECEMBER 5-12
Give the gift of the Catamounts this holiday season! The UVM Bookstore is offering 20% off all clothing from December 5-12 including UVM Athletics official NIKE gear. The sale is available in-store at the Davis Center and Church Street Marketplace. You can also shop online at go.uvm.edu/dec25 using the code – HOLIDAY20.

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