MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
 
The Vermont men's basketball team wraps up the regular season Saturday night on the road taking on first-place Stony Brook at the Island Federal Credit Union Arena on Long Island.
 
The 7 p.m. tipoff can be seen on ESPN3 and the ESPN App with Chris Villani and Frank Sullivan on the call. Local radio coverage begins at 6:30 on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell bringing you the action.
 
RELATED LINKS
Vermont Game Notes (.pdf)
Stony Brook Game Notes
Stony Brook Game Coverage: Live Video – Live Audio – Live Stats
UNH Flashback: Game Recap – CatamounTV Highlights
 
Last Time Out vs. New Hampshire: Up by three with under three minutes to play, Cam Ward drilled a deep three-pointer as the shot clock winded down to put Vermont up for good in a 73-67 win over New Hampshire on 'Senior Night' from Patrick Gym. Ward finished the night with 11 points – his third straight game in double-figures – and five assists. Trae Bell-Haynes scored a game-high 16 points and connected on a career-best three 3-pointers. Kurt Steidl chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds and Ethan O'Day, playing in his final regular season home game, went for eight points and eight rebounds in the winning effort. In two meetings this season, Vermont has held New Hampshire to just 30.1% shooting. With the win, John Becker now has 105 career wins at Vermont, which ties him with Peter Salzberg for fourth-most in program history. Ward's three-pointer came right after UNH's Jaleen Smith hit one of his own to cut the six-point UVM lead in half. Vermont prevailed from there making its free throws down the stretch.
 
About Stony Brook: Stony Brook enters the game with a 23-5 record (14-1 in America East) and clinched the regular season title with a win last time out at Maine. It's the Seawolves' fourth regular season title and assures them of at least an NIT berth come the postseason. Last time out, Jameel Warney led all scorers with 20 points in a 75-56 win in Maine. Warney scored his 2,000th career point in the victory and is now just the 110th player in the history of Division I basketball to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. Warney leads Stony Brook in scoring (18.9 ppg) and in rebounding (10.3 rpg) while shooting 63% from the field. Carson Puriefoy ranks second on the team with 14.4 points per contest while Rayshaun McGrew averages 11.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Ahmad Walker leads the America East in assists (4.2 apg) while scoring 10.9 points per game and grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game.
 
Series History: Vermont leads the all-time series with Stony Brook, which dates back to 2002, 23-10. The Catamounts have won three of five against the Seawolves. John Becker is 6-5 in his career vs. Stony Brook. Vermont won the only meeting at Island Federal Credit Union Arena last season. On Long Island, UVM is 9-6.
 
Last Meeting vs. Stony Brook: Stony Brook's starting five scored 69 of its 72 points and the Seawolves used a strong second half to upend Vermont, 72-61, at Patrick Gym. Three Catamounts reached double figures on the afternoon led by Trae Bell-Haynes' 13-point effort. Ethan O'Day posted his second double-double of the season finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds while Cam Ward chipped in with 10 points. Jameel Warney dominated the interior with 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead Stony Brook. Ahmad Walker did a bit of everything finishing the afternoon with 16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three steals.
 
Cats Sizzling: Over the last four games (all wins) UVM has averaged 85.5 points per game while shooting 54.7% from the field. Vermont has a scoring margin of +19 during the four-game win streak. The Cats have scored 90+ points four times this season which is the most since 2001-2002 when it was also done on four occasions.
 
Cam Jam: In his last three games, Cam Ward is averaging 17 points per contest while shooting 65.2% from the field (58.3% from downtown). The sophomore is the reigning America East Player of the Week.
 
Bench Mob: Over the last five games, Vermont's bench players have outscored their opposing counterparts 184-73. Against UNH, the Catamounts outscored their opponents 29-15. In league play, Vermont is +11.2 off the bench, outscoring opponents 28.3-17.1.
 
Not So Road Weary: Vermont started the season, 1-6 on the road. Since Dec. 22, the Cats are 6-2 away from home (5-2 AEC). In those first seven games, UVM scored just 63.7 points per game while giving up close to 80. Over the last two months, however, Vermont is scoring nearly 80 and giving up just 66.6 points per contest.
 
Second Half Surge: Vermont has taken a step forward during the second half of league play. The Cats are averaging 84.4 points per game in the last seven games with a rebounding margin of +8.9. During the first half of league play, UVM averaged 72.4 points per game and had a rebounding margin of +0.6.