Courtesy Vermont Sports Information

HANOVER, N.H. – In the 100th meeting between Vermont and Dartmouth, the Catamounts erased a five-point second-half deficit and got a huge stop with 16 seconds left to defeat their Twin-state rival, 68-63, on Wednesday night at Leede Arena. With the win, Vermont gets back to .500 and improves to 4-4. Dartmouth, meanwhile, falls to 1-2.

Ethan O’Day turned in one of his most dominant performances of the season pouring in 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and three blocks. Trae Bell-Haynes chipped in with 15 points while Kurt Steidl added 10 points and seven rebounds. Cam Ward scored all 12 of his points in the second half.

Miles Wright and Evan Boudreaux each scored 18 for the Big Green but UVM’s defense held the duo to a combined 39% shooting (13-of-33).

Vermont got off to a fast start thanks to five straight points from Dre Wills, including his first 3-pointer of the season. Dartmouth would take its first lead of the day at the 15:35 mark of the first half when Connor Boehm converted a layup inside. Vermont went on an 8-1 run to take a 17-13 lead at the 8:58 mark and the Cats would take a four-point cushion into the break.

Both teams traded buckets to start the second half before Dartmouth gained a bit of momentum. Kevin Crescenzi buried a long 3-pointer and Malik Gil did the same to put the Big Green up 47-42 with 12:49 to play.

Ward and the Catamounts answered the run and took the lead for good six minutes later. After another Crescenzi jumper, Ward knocked down his second trifecta to put his team in front, 55-53. Fast-forward to under two minutes to go, the sophomore connected on a runner in the lane to give UVM a 63-58 lead.

The Vermont defense held up from there stringing together three stops with under a minute left to seal the victory – Vermont’s eighth straight over Dartmouth.

Vermont travels to Yale in New Haven, Conn. on Saturday for the second of three matchups against Ivy League foes this season. Tipoff against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game can be seen live on a pay-per-view basis on the Ivy League Digital Network and heard on ESPN 101.3 FM. AJ Kanell has the call with pregame coverage starting at 1:30.