Courtesy Vermont Sports Information
LOWELL, MA. – Vermont rolled to an 87-66 America East win at UMass Lowell on Wednesday night to set a new program record with its 16th consecutive overall and 14th straight conference victory. With the win, Vermont clinches at least a share of the America East Regular Season title.
Vermont matches the highest win total under head coach John Becker after improving to 24-5 overall. The Cats are the first team since Delaware in 1991-92 to start America East play at 14-0. UMass Lowell falls to 11-18 overall and 5-8 in the conference standings.
UVM had one of its strongest offensive showings of the season by shooting 62.3% (33-of-53) from the floor and outscored UMass Lowell 48-32 in the paint.
The Catamounts showed their depth once again as four players reached double figures. Anthony Lamb posted a team-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting with a career-high four three-pointers. Trae Bell-Haynes had a strong all-around game with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Kurt Steidl and Payton Henson added 11 points apiece and combined for 11 rebounds. Dre Wills was 4-of-5 from the field for nine points and matched Bell-Haynes with five assists.
UMass Lowell was guided by a game-high 28 points from Jahad Thomas. The junior was 13-of-19 from the floor with four rebounds and four assists. Tyler Livingston chipped in with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and tallied six rebounds. Rinardo Perry rounded out the top scorers with 13 points, including a trio from beyond the arc.
The green and gold controlled the tempo from the opening tip. UVM jumped out to a 27-10 lead at the midway point of the first half. After weathering a small run by the River Hawks, the Cats kept their foot on the gas pedal and padded the lead to 44-31 at the break.
In the second half, Vermont stormed out of the locker room outscoring the Riverhawks 30-17 over the first 12 minutes of the half. A Bell-Haynes three-point-play at the 8:38 mark gave the Cats a 26-point cushion – the largest lead of the night for UVM – and put the game out of reach. Lamb scored 13 of his 24 in the second half while Bell-Haynes had 11 of his 18 after the intermission break.
Vermont heads into the bye weekend and returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 22 to host rival Albany at 7 p.m. Single game tickets are available at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. The game can be seen on ESPN3 and the watchESPN app by logging in with your cable provider.