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The Vermont men's basketball team ventures to the Pacific Northwest to continue its season in the quarterfinal round of the College Basketball Invitational on Monday night against the Seattle University Redhawks.

Tipoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. (EST) and can be seen on the WAC Digital Network. Local radio coverage begins at 9:30 on ESPN 101.3 FM with AJ Kanell on the call.

RELATED LINKS
Vermont Game Notes (.pdf)
Seattle Game Notes
CatamounTV Preview
Seattle Game Coverage: Live Video - Live Audio - Live Stats
Western Carolina Flashback: Game Recap - CatamounTV Highlights

Last Time Out vs. Western Carolina: In his 100th career game, Kurt Steidl poured in 20 points and hauled in 11 rebounds to lead the Vermont men's basketball team past Western Carolina, 79-74, in the first round of the College Basketball Invitational. Steidl registered his second double-double of the season while shooting just 5-of-11 from the field but 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Trae Bell-Haynes pumped in 16 points - the second straight games he has scored at least 16 - while going 11-of-12 from the charity stripe. In extended minutes off the bench, Everett Duncan chipped in with seven points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals. UVM took control about midway through the first half, using an 18-4 run to turn a one-point ball game into a 15-point lead. Western Carolina stormed out of the locker room, however, and erased the deficit in the first three minutes of the second half. Vermont responded with a 10-2 spurt to jump back in front by eight thanks to six points from Drew Urquhart. UVM went 11-of-13 from the line in the final minute to ice the game and advance to the quarterfinals for the second straight season.

About Seattle: Seattle U comes into Monday night's quarterfinal matchup with a 15-16 overall record and picked up a 68-63 win over Idaho in the first round last time out. In that victory, the Redhawks shot 56.5% in the second half and pulled away late to defeat the Vandals. Brendan Westendorf pumped in 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting while Jadon Cohee scored 18 points off the bench. The two combined to connect on eight three-pointers and Seattle hit ten as a team. Seattle fell in the semifinals of the WAC Tournament to eventual champion Cal State Bakersfield, 72-47. The Redhawks advanced to the CBI semifinals last season with wins over Pepperdine and Colorado. Seattle has won 14 straight games at the Connolly Center.

Series History: This will be the first all-time meeting between UVM and Seattle and the first time the Catamounts have played a current member of the WAC.

Last Meeting vs. WAC: Vermont's last meeting with a member of the Western Athletic Conference occurred about a decade ago in November of 2005 when the Nevada Wolfpack came to Patrick Gym. Vermont lost the game, 77-62. In what was the 16th straight sellout at Patrick Gym, the Catamounts got 24 points from Martin Klimes and 19 from Mike Trimboli. Current Vermont assistant coach Ryan Schneider grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Current associate head coach Kyle Cieplicki had four points and three assists. Note: Nevada left the WAC and joined the Mount West Conference in 2012.

Postseason Notes: This is Vermont's 8th straight postseason appearance and 12th in the last 14 seasons (5 NCAA, 3 NIT, 4 CBI). The Catamounts have won at least one game in the CBI in three of its four appearances in the tournament. John Becker has the most postseason wins in program history (John Becker 4; Mike Lonergan 1; Tom Brennan 1).

Last Year in the CBI: Last season, the Catamounts advanced to the semifinals of the CBI before falling on the road at Louisiana-Monroe. Vermont picked up wins over Hofstra (85-81) and Radford (78-71) en route to the semifinals. Ethan O'Day averaged 16.3 points a 6.0 rebounds in those three games and shot a blistering 63.3% from the field.

UVM vs. Pacific Northwest: UVM is 0-3 all-time against teams in the Pacific Northwest falling twice to Oregon and once to Oregon State. The matchup with the Beavers was in the 2009 CBI and the Catamounts fell 71-70 in overtime.

Playoff Defense: During the three America East Playoff games and first round of the CBI, Vermont held opponents to just 39.5% shooting on the defensive end while shooting 51.4% offensively. In eight halves of basketball, UVM opponents shot below 40% four times.

Not so Road Weary: Vermont started the season, 1-6 on the road. Since Dec. 22, the Cats are 7-3 in their last 10 road games. UVM is averaging 77.8 points per game in those last ten games while giving up just 67.5 to its opponents.

Bench Boosters: Vermont's bench has been a key factor recently. The Cats have outscored their opponents 263-97 off the bench over the last nine games, which is a 18.5 points per game average. Vermont outscored Stony Brook in the AE title game 27-0. Cam Ward averaged 12.8 points per game off the bench during that stretch.

Cats on a Roll: Despite falling short in the America East title game, the Catamounts have still won eight of their last nine games and outscoring opponents by 12.6 points per game. Five different Catamounts are averaging double figures in scoring during that stretch led by Ernie Duncan's 12.9 points per game.

Three's Company: Three Catamounts landed on the All-Conference Third Team following the regular season - Ethan O'Day, Kurt Steidl and Trae Bell-Haynes. O'Day earns in second all-conference selection while Bell-Haynes and Steidl - both all-rookie selections following their freshman seasons - earned all-league status for the first time.

Did it all for the Rookie: Averaging 15 points per game while shooting 55.6% from the field in two Vermont wins in the final week of the regular season, Ernie Duncan earned Rookie of the Week honors on Monday. He also was selected to the AE All-Rookie team.

All Vermont fans are encouraged to stop by the Chieftain at 908 12th Ave. Seattle, WA for a pre-game rally from 5:30-6:30 p.m. for light appetizers and green and gold shakers compliments of the UVM Alumni Association. Tickets to for the game must be purchased through Ticketmaster at: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/seattleu/EN/buy/browse?g[0]=19042