Courtesy Vermont Sports Information
QUEENS, N.Y. –– UVM senior Anthony Lamb sank the game-winning shot with less than two second left on the clock to give Vermont a 70-68 win over Big East foe St. John’s on Saturday afternoon. The Catamounts are off to their first 4-0 start since the 1977-78 campaign.
COACH’S QUOTE
“Tonight, was a big win for our program in a great college basketball atmosphere,” Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. “For people who haven’t seen Anthony play before, that’s who he is and he’s an incredible player. He made a huge shot to win the game and I’m really proud of him.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams traded buckets in a low scoring affair through the first 11 minutes as the scoreboard read 11-11.
The Catamounts netted five quick points with a layup from Lamb, then an and-one layup from Stef Smith for a 16-11 lead by the eight-minute media timeout.
The Green and Gold managed to stay ahead of the Red Storm until SJU closed out the half on an 11-0 run, handing the Cats a 31-26 deficit at the break.
Vermont erased the margin by the 16-minute mark of the second half and continued to go back-and-forth with St. John’s for the ensuing seven minutes.
Leading 45-44 with nine minutes left on the clock, the Cats produced an 11-2 run and built a double-digit lead in a two-and-half minute span.
The Red Storm clawed back and drew within 66-65 with 30 ticks remaining in the contest after Mustapha Heron (14 points) buried a triple from the top of the arc. After SJU was forced to foul, Everett Duncan made both attempts from the charity stripe to push the advantage back to a three-point game. On St. John’s next possession, Rasheem Dunn (13 points) tied the game with a three-pointer from the same spot as Heron’s triple.
On the game-winning possession, Lamb gathered an in-bounds pass in front of his own bench. The senior drove to the foul line, pulled up in front of two defenders, and found nothing but nylon with a 17-foot jumper.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Lamb notched his third double-double of the season with a game-high 23 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. He hit a pair of attempts from three-point land and recorded two steals.
Smith also had a big night with 17 points. The junior shot 7-of-13 from the floor and dished out three assists.
Duncan matched Smith with 17 points. The redshirt senior canned 6-of-14 attempts from the field and made three triples. He also pulled down three boards and registered a pair of steals.
UVM took down a current member of the Big East Conference for the first time since February of 1924. Recently, the Cats beat former member Rutgers in November of 2009 – their last win over a high-major program.
With the victory, the Cats Win, Community Wins campaign and Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Make-A-Wish Vermont, bringing this year’s total to 97 wins and $9,700. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.
WHO’S NEXT
Vermont heads to defending national champion and ninth-ranked Virginia on Tuesday (Nov. 19). The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at VirginiaSports.com. All of the action can be seen locally on NESN+. For fans in the New England region, NESN+ is located on channel 628-1 for DirecTV users. Dish Network viewers can tune-in to channel 450 (SD) or 9573 (HD). The game will also be streamed on NESNgo.com. Xfinity subscribers can watch the contest on channel 84 (SD) and 894 (HD).
For fans located out of the Virginia television market, a stream can be found on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app. Fans located in-market can catch the action on Fox Sports Go.com and the Fox Sports Go app.
Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College, on 101.3 The Game or online at Catamounts All-Access with Jake Marsh on the call.