Men’s Hoop: Vermont Falls at #13 Butler 81-69

Posted on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – The 13th-ranked Butler Bulldogs held off a late second-half surge by the Catamounts to avoid an upset as Vermont fell 81-69 on Wednesday night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. Junior forward Drew Urquhart recorded his second career double-double as four Cats posted double figures.

Vermont falls to 8-5 on the year while Butler improves to 11-1.

Urquhart matched a career-high with 14 points, which he set in last Saturday’s win over Eastern Michigan, on 7-of-10 shooting. The Vancouver, British Columbia native grabbed 10 rebounds off the glass to post his first double-double of the season. Trae Bell-Haynes matched Urquhart with 14 points and shot 6-of-8 from the floor with three rebounds and three assists. Ernie Duncan andAnthony Lamb added 13 points apiece and combined to shoot 9-of-12 at the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs had a pair of 20-point outings from Andrew Chrabascz and Kelan Martin. Chrabascz notched a game-high 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting and dished out three assists. Martin charted 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting and made all three attempts from long distance.

Vermont jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the early going behind jumpers from Urquhart and Bell-Haynes while Duncan sank a three-pointer from the top of the arc. After Butler came back to tie the game, the two teams traded baskets until the midway point of the half.

The Catamounts kept it to a one-possession game but the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run and built a 36-24 lead with two minutes remaining in the half. Urquhart brought UVM back and scored the team’s final six points of the half, including a buzzer-beating layup that closed the gap to 40-30 at the break.

Butler started the second half off with a 10-5 run, but Vermont came roaring back on a 18-9 run and trimmed the disadvantage down to 61-53 at the 9:07 mark. The Bulldogs scored five quick points on their next two possessions to push the lead back double digits. The two squads traded baskets down the stretch as the Catamounts could not generate enough momentum to pull off the upset.

Vermont returns to the hardwood on Thursday, Dec. 29 at Siena in the final game of the calendar year. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.  The game will be streamed on Siena All-Access.