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BURLINGTON, Vt. - Vermont hosts UMBC on Saturday at Patrick Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. The game can be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM (online: 1013ESPN.com) with A.J. Kanell on the call. The game will also be streamed for free in HD via CatamounTV.com. The Catamounts have won four straight and stand at 15-10, 10-2 in America East after a 96-53 win over UMass Lowell on Wednesday ... UMBC is 3-21 and 1-10 in America East ... The Retrievers are coming off a 69-59 loss at Albany on Saturday.
TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Tickets can be purachsed online at UVMathletics.com, in person at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office in Patrick Gymnasium (M-F: 9 a.m.-5 p.m), via the phone at 802-656-4410, or in person one hour before tipoff in the Patrick Gymnasium Lobby ... Saturday marks the men's basketball team's Rally Against Cancer/ Play 4 Kay game presented by Otter Creek Awnings and Vermont Custom Closets ... The team will be wearing special uniforms with pink accents ... The game--worn jerseys are being auctioned off online, click here to bid today ... The auction ends on Tuesday, February 17 at 12 p.m.
RELATED LINKS
Game Coverage - Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
Game Notes (.pdf)
CatamounTV Highlights - UMass Lowell
LAST TIME OUT - Vermont 96, UMass Lowell 53
Vermont made 16 3-pointers and shot a school record 76.2 percent from 3-point range to roll past UMass Lowell, 96-53, and clinch a home game in the quarterfinal round of the America East Men's Basketball Playoffs ... UVM, which went 8-for-8 from 3-point range to start the game, led 29-6 at the 11:11 mark ... The Catamounts shot 22-for-26 from the field in the first half and went into the break with a 57-19 lead ... Ethan O'Day led all scorers with 21 points in 20 minutes on 9-for-12 shooting from the field ... Hector Harold added 15 points and six assists.
ABOUT UMBC
UMBC is 3-21 overall and 1-10 in the league ... The Retrievers have lost five straight, including a 73-61 decision to Stony Brook on Wednesday ... UVM is without their leading scorer, graduate student Wayne Sparrow (13.8) who was deemed ineligible for not matriculating through to the spring semester in a graduate program four games ago ... Cody Joyce is UMBC's active leading scorer (13.0 ppg) and rebounder (5.8 rpg)... The Retreivers are also playing without 2014 America East Rookie of the Year Rodney Elliott who has been sidelined for the season with a shoulder injury ... As a team, UMBC is averaging 56.2 points per game while giving up 67.0 to opponents ... The Retrievers are shooting 41.2 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from the arc and 63.1 percent from the foul line ... UMBC is being out rebounded 34.2 to 30.4 on the boards.
THE SERIES
Saturday is the 29th meeting between the two teams ... Vermont owns 24-4 record over UMBC in series ... John Becker is 8-0 vs. UMBC ... The Catamounts have won 15 straight against UMBC ... UVM swept the Retrievers last season.
LAST TIME vs. UMBC - Vermont 71, UMBC 54
Vermont held UMBC without a field goal over the first 9:13 of the second half and put together a 24-6 run to pull away from the Reteivers. UVM improved to 4-0 in America East and extended its win streak to four games. Ethan O'Day led the Catamounts with 15 points, on 7-for-9 shooting, and seven rebounds. Brendan Kilpatrick added 13 points in 19 minutes off the bench and Trae Bell-Haynes scored 10 points, all in the second half.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Vermont's shooting against UMass Lowell was the best 3-point performance of any team in five years according to CBSSports.com writer Matt Norlander ... Read his story, click here
Inside the Numbers
16 3-pointers - tied for 15th among the most in an NCAA DI game this season (NCAA.com) ... also the most by a Vermont team since making 15 vs. Northeastern (1/17/02)
76.2 3FG% - new school record ... old mark was 70.6% (12-for-17) vs. Maine (2/28/97) ... also second best 3FG% in an NCAA DI game this season (NCAA.com)
66.7 FG% - 21st-best overall shooting performance this season (BBState.com)
28 assists - most since the Catamounts dished out 27 versus Sacred Heart (12/31/02) ... UVM handed otu 28 assists on 36 field goals and 10 of 12 players had at least one helper.
#JOSHSTRONG
The Catamounts are playing with some emotional inspiration from incoming recruit Josh Speidel ... Speidel (said spy-dell) was seriously injured in a car accident in his hometown of Columbus, Indiana on Feb. 1 and is listed in critical but stable condition in the ICU at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis ... He is one of the top seniors in Indiana and plays at Columbus North HS ... For more information on donations, please click here.
ETHAN ALL'DAY
Ethan O'Day is shooting 73.9 percent (17-for-23) from the field in the past two games ... He was 8-for-12 from the field for 17 points in UVM's comeback win at Stony Brook and was 9-for-11 for a team-high 21 points, one shy of his career-high, in a victory over UMass Lowell on Wednesday.
DEFENSE
Vermont is 5-1 in its last six games and has held its five of six opponents to 50 points or less ... UVM is allowing 49 points per game in its last four contests and holding opponents to 29.7 percent shooting from the field and 20 percent shooting from 3-point range ... UVM ranks 14th in the country in scoring defense ... Under John Becker, UVM teams have not allowed opponents to average more than 60 points in a season:
2011-12 60.9 - Becker
2012-13 59.2 - Becker (school record)
2013-14 60.6 - Becker
2014-15 57.4 - Becker
VERMONT SKILS COMPETITION
With the NBA All-Star Game this weekend, the Catamounts got into the all-star mood, holding their own Skills Competition on Thursday ... Check out the CatamounTV coverage, click here.
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont travels to Binghamton on Wednesday (Feb. 18) for a 7 p.m. game at the Events Center ... The game can be heard on ESPN 101.3 FM (online: 1013ESPN.com) with A.J. Kanell on the call. The game will also be streamed for free in HD via AmericaEast.tv.
