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Iona Holds On To Top Vermont Men's Basketball 73-72

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Created on Saturday, 17 December 2011 21:38

Written by George Commo

Catamounts drop fifth straight and fall to 4-7 on the year

Courtesy of Vermont Sports Information

BURLINGTON, Vt.  – Vermont held the nations second-highest scoring team to 15 points under its average, but Iona held on to a one-point lead in the final seconds to pull out a 73-72 victory over the Catamounts on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gym. Freshman Four McGlynn led the Cats with 19 points, as Vermont drops its fifth straight and falls to 4-7 on the year.

Trailing by one, Vermont had three chances to take the lead in the final seconds. Senior Matt Glass had a good look at a 3-pointer that didn't fall with 16 seconds to go, but sophomore Brian Voelkel got the rebound and took a jumper from the elbow that didn't fall.

Voelkel got his own rebound and threw it off an Iona player before going out of bounds with 1.5 seconds left. The Cats had trouble getting the ball in and Voelkel was then forced to take a shot from the baseline that was behind the hoop and ended up being long.

“I thought our kids played really hard tonight and I am really proud of them,” said Vermont head coach John Becker. “We battled for 40 minutes tonight and just came up a couple plays short, but I thought we played with great effort and executed our game plan really well. We will regroup and get ready for Wednesday.”

Four Catamounts reached double figures as McGlynn was joined by 14 each from sophomore Luke Apfeld and Glass, as well as 11 from junior Brendan Bald. Iona (9-2) came into the game second in the nation in scoring (87.5 ppg) and eighth in field goal percentage (51.5 percent), but the Cats held them well under both numbers.

In the first half the Catamounts stormed out to an early 11-0 lead as they made three 3-pointers during the stretch. The three shots from long range matched Vermont's total from the two previous games combined. With UVM leading 13-6, Iona answered with a 13-3 run over the next 2:32 to take a 19-16 advantage.

A three-point play by Voelkel and a 3-pointer from McGlynn put UVM back on top 29-26, as it would lead for the remainder of the half. A Glass 3-pointer beat the buzzer to send the Catamounts into the locker room with a 43-37 lead. Vermont shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the first half and went 7-for-14 from long range, as McGlynn led all scorers with 15 points at the break.

With the Catamounts leading 58-56, Iona's Lamont Jones hit a 3-pointer with 9:49 left that put the Gaels back on top for the first time since it was 26-25. The lead would change six times over the next 4:05 in a back and forth battle.

The Cats trailed by three before a Bald 3-pointer tied it at 68-68 with 3:34 remaining. The Gaels scored the next five to retake the lead, but McGlynn hit a shot and sophomore Sandro Carissimo hit a fade away jumper that just beat the shot clock to make it a one-point game with 47 seconds to go.

Vermont finished 9-for-20 from 3-point range on the day, led by four from Glass. McGlynn went 7-for-12 overall, while Apfeld was 6-for-10 from the floor. Voelkel had a stat-stuffing day with seven points, seven rebounds and game-highs of eight assists and four steals.

Mike Glover and Jones led Iona with 16 apiece, while Scott Machado (14) and Sean Armand (10) also reached double figures. Machado entered the game leading the nation by handing out 10.9 assists per contest, but the Cats limited him to only six on Saturday. The Gaels also used a 37-27 edge on the glass that included 14 offensive rebounds.

Vermont returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to face Fairleigh Dickinson starting at 7 p.m.

NOTES: Apfeld scored 12 of his 14 in the second half … Iona went 15-for-16 from the free throw line … The Cats defeated Iona last season on the road 84-79 … UVM committed only nine turnovers on the day … The nine 3-pointers were a season-high for the Catamounts, passing the eight they made in the season-opener at South Florida … UVM's bench outscored Iona's 21-13 … The 43 points before halftime were the most for the Catamounts in the first half of a game this season … Prior to the game the Catamounts retired Trevor Gaines' No. 45 with a special ceremony ... Click here to watch a video retrospective on Gaines ... Saturday was also alumni day for the Catamounts … McGlynn was named the America East Player of the Game …