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Vermont (16-5, 6-0) will host America East rival Albany (16-6, 4-3) on Wednesday (Jan. 24) in a rematch of last year's conference title game. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are in limited supply but available for purchase at
UVMathletics.com/Tickets or at the Patrick Gymnasium Box Office on gameday. All Vermont regular season games can be heard on 101.3 ESPN FM and online at
1013ESPN.com with Sam Hyman on the call.
CATS ON E3
Fans can watch each America East matchup on
ESPN3 and the watchESPN app by logging in with your television provider.
RELATED LINKS
Albany: Video | Audio | Live Stats | Tickets
CatamounTV: Albany Preview | Hartford Highlights | 2017 America East Championship Highlights
Game Notes: Vermont | Albany
RALLY AROUND MENTAL HEALTH | Support Rally Around Mental Health
Wednesday's game is Rally Around Mental Health, presented by WCAX. The mental health initiative was founded by senior student-athletes Kelly Lennon (women's swimming & diving) and
Trae Bell-Haynes (men's basketball) to raise awareness and decrease the stigma for mental health issues among student-athletes. RAMH also laid the foundation for Catamount Sport Psychology and Counseling (CSPC), which provides a wide range of sport psychology and mental health services for UVM student-athletes, coaches, and staff. Click the link above to donate to the initiative.
PROMOTIONS
UVM will be offering a free slice of pizza, presented by Leonardo's Pizza, to the first 300 students in attendance.
LAST TIME OUT | Hartford Highlights
The Catamounts won their ninth game in a row after senior
Trae Bell-Haynes and redshirt senior
Payton Henson combined for 35 points in a 76-53 rout of Hartford on Sunday afternoon. Henson scored a game-high 18 points, five boards, and connected on three attempts from long range. Bell-Haynes followed with 17 points, six rebounds, four assists, and one steal. He also became the 11th Catamount to surpass the 1,400-career point plateau.
Everett Duncan matched his career high with 12 points and made 4-of-5 attempts from three-point land.
RELIVING LAST YEAR'S TITLE GAME | 2017 America East Championship Highlights
The two rivals will meet for the first time since last year's America East title game where top-seeded UVM beat third-seeded Albany 56-53 at Patrick Gym. The All-Championship Team was highlighted by three Catamounts –
Anthony Lamb, Henson, and
Dre Wills. Lamb was named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and becomes the first freshman to receive the honor. Henson had a big day with a game-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting and made 6-of-7 on his trips to the free throw line. The game came down to the final minute. The score deadlocked at 52-52 when the Cats broke the tie with an and-one opportunity from Henson. Bell-Haynes drove to the baseline and dished a one-handed pass to Henson, who withstood the contact and laid a shot off the window, then sank the ensuing free throw.
STREAKY CLEAN
UVM will try to extend a trio of streaks on Wednesday. The Cats have won 27 straight regular season conference games, 19 contests on the hardwood of Patrick Gym, and own the fourth-longest active winning streak in the country with nine consecutive victories.
SCOUTING ALBANY
Wednesday night features the top two teams in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll as the Great Danes were picked second behind the Catamounts. Albany started slow in conference play at 0-2 but has rebounded with four wins in its last five games. The Great Danes own the top overall scoring offense in the league at 76.3 points per game. On the defensive end, Albany has held its America East foes to 41.8% shooting – the second-lowest percentage behind New Hampshire (41.5%). The Great Danes have two of the top scorers in league play in Joe Cremo and Travis Charles. Cremo has dropped 17.0 points per game on conference rivals while Charles follows with a 16.1 scoring average. In the last 13 games, either Cremo and Charles has led the team in scoring.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Catamounts hold a 27-14 edge over the Great Danes but the series has been very tight in recent years. The outcome has been decided by 10 points or less in six of the last nine meetings. UVM is 14-6 against the Great Danes in Burlington and the two programs have combined to win 11 of the last 15 America East Championships.
WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will embark on a three-game road trip, beginning with Binghamton on Wednesday, Jan. 31. The opening tip is set for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at
BUBearcats.com. Fans can watch the America East matchup on
ESPN3 and the watchESPN app by logging in with your television provider. All Vermont regular season games can be heard on 101.3 ESPN FM and online at
1013ESPN.com with Sam Hyman on the call.
Canon Solutions America is the presenting sponsor of the 2017-18 Vermont men's basketball season
