Men’s Hoops: Catamounts Hold Off UNH 73-59

Posted on by George Commo

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

DURHAM, N.H. – UVM men’s basketball held off twin state rival New Hampshire for a 73-59 America East win at Lundholm Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Catamounts continue their hot start and improve to 14-4 overall and 4-0 in league play. The Wildcats slip to 3-14 on the year and 1-3 against conference foes.

COACH’S QUOTE
“Tonight, was another really good win and I thought New Hampshire played a physical game,” Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. “We have to do a better job of not breaking our own momentum at times but we will take this win into the weekend.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Catamounts opened the game on an 11-5 run thanks to eight points from Antony Lamb.
The Wildcats clawed back to 14-10, but the Green and Gold extended their lead with a 15-2 surge over a seven-minute stretch.
UNH fought back again with its own 19-7 spree and whittled the deficit to 36-31 by halftime.
UVM bolted out of the locker room and started off the second half with eight combined points from Lamb and Robin Duncan.
With the Cats leading 58-44 at the 9:54 mark, the Wildcats cut the margin to 61-56 over the next two minutes.
Vermont sealed the victory down the stretch and outscored New Hampshire 10-3 in the final 6:43.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Lamb poured in a game-high 28 points to lead four Catamounts in double figures. Lamb shot 11-for-21 on the night, pulled down eight rebounds, and dished out three assists.
Ernie Duncan and Stef Smith added 14 points apiece. The guards shot 5-for-10 each and combined to make five triples.
Robin Duncan followed with 11 points, five boards, and two assists. The freshman hit 4-of-7 attempts from the field and recorded two steals.
UVM is 14-4 or better for the ninth time in school history and for the first time since 2004-05. The Cats are also 4-0 to begin league play for the third straight season.
Vermont has beat its twin state neighbor for the 10th consecutive meeting and improves to 104-48 in the all-time series.
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 eight wins and $800.
WHO’S NEXT
Vermont will host Binghamton on Saturday (Jan. 19) for its annual Rally Against Cancer game presented by Inspired Closets. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. The Catamounts will be wearing special edition lavender jerseys this year – the color that represents the fight against all cancers. Fans are encouraged to wear lavender and fill out a “I Rally For” sign as a part of a pregame ceremony to show that no one has to battle cancer alone. Jerseys will be auctioned off following the game and the proceeds will benefit the UVM Cancer Center.

All of the action can be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app by logging in with your television provider. Fans can also listen to the game on 101.3 The Game and 1013TheGame.com with Jake Marsh on the call.