Men’s Hoops: UVM Dominates Twin State Rival New Hampshire for 20th Win

Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

BURLINGTON — The UVM men’s basketball team reached the win column for the fifth straight game with a 73-44 conference win over New Hampshire on Wednesday night. The Catamounts used a balanced scoring attack as nine different players netted a point. Vermont improves to 20-5 overall and 10-1 America East play. UNH slips to 3-21 on the year and 1-10 in the league standings.

COACH’S QUOTE
“I thought we came out and set the tone defensively and we were able to continue that the whole game,” Cioffi Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. “Everybody that played I thought was ready to play and contribute, it was a good team effort.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
The twin state rivals traded baskets through the first 13 minutes of the game as the lead changed hands four times.
The Catamounts gained separation late in the first half with an 11-2 run for a 27-16 lead at the 4:18 mark.
The Wildcats clawed back with five of the game’s next seven points and drew within 29-21 with three minutes left in the period.
UVM went into halftime with a 38-26 advantage after outscoring UNH 8-5 in the last 2:46.
The Green and Gold opened the second half with a 15-3 surge and stretched the margin to 53-29 with 13 minutes remaining in the contest.
Vermont pushed its lead to as large as 66-36 with six-and-a-half minutes left in the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Anthony Lamb scored a game-high 20 points and hit the 20-point barrier for the 13th time this season. He shot 8-of-12 for the night, collected six rebounds, and logged two steals.
Stef Smith was one of three Cats with eight points. The sophomore pulled down eight boards, dished out three assists, and registered a steal.
Samuel Dingba and Ben Shungu added eight points apiece and combined for eight rebounds.
The Class of 2019 (Ernie Duncan and Dingba) earned their 99th-career win and tied the Class of 2018 for the top spot on UVM’s all-time list of winningest classes.
The Catamounts join Duke, Gonzaga, and Kentucky as the only teams right now with at least 11 consecutive 20-win campaigns.
Vermont is off to a 20-5 start for third straight season and fifth time in school history. The 10-1 record in league play is also the third consecutive time the Cats have accrued the mark and eighth time in program history.
UVM beat UNH for the 11th time in a row, the second-longest active winning streak against a league opponent, and improves to 105-48 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 28 wins and $2,800.

WHO’S NEXT
Vermont heads to Hartford on Saturday (Feb. 16) in a battle of the top-two teams in this year’s America East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The opening tip is set for 5 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets at HartfordHawks.com. All of the action can be seen on ESPN+ with a paid subscription. Fans can access ESPN+ with a seven-day free trial, followed by a subscription fee of $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with the ability to cancel at any time. Fans can also listen to the contest on 101.3 The Game and 1013TheGame.com with Jake Marsh on the call.