FINAL SCORE: Vermont 81, Central Connecticut State 49
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Vermont controlled the game from the opening tip and cruised to a dominant 81-49 win over Central Connecticut State on Saturday night in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Semifinal. The Catamounts are off to their third 5-1 start in the last four years.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Tonight, was another great team win and I thought we played our style of basketball in the second half," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "It was great to get everyone some touches and we're onto tomorrow night for the championship game against Rider."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts wasted little time jumping out in front and built a 20-9 lead through the first seven minutes of the game, fueled by three triples from Stef Smith.
• UVM kept CCSU at bay for most of the first half, but the Blue Devils cut the margin to 36-30 with two minutes left on the clock after mounting a 10-2 run.
• The Green and Gold answered by netting the last six points of the frame and went into the locker room with a 42-33 edge.
• In the second half, Vermont put the game out of reach with a 16-2 run by the 14-minute mark. UVM's defense stymied CCSU and held the Blue Devils to 10.7% shooting (3-for-28). Central Connecticut State only made two of its last 20 field goal attempts and was kept off the scoreboard for the final three minutes. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Smith notched a game-high 24 points and canned 9-of-12 shots from the floor. The junior shot 5-of-8 from long range, pulled down six boards, and handed out three assists.
• Anthony Lamb scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half and made 5-of-7 attempts in final frame. He matched Smith with six rebounds and three assists. The senior became the 10th member of the 1,500-career point club and passed former teammate Ernie Duncan '19 on the all-time scoring list. 
• Ryan Davis also reached double figures with 12 points. He drained 5-of-7 attempts from the floor and buried one triple.
• UVM improves to 12-2 in the all-time series with CCSU.
• The Green and Gold outscored the Blue Devils 44-10 in the paint.
• The Catamounts won tonight which brings the win total to 100, which means Vermont Mutual Insurance will be donating $100 to Make A Wish Vermont. This win brings the 2019 total to $10,000. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will play Rider in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Championship Game on Sunday night (Nov. 24). The opening tip is set for 8:30 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com. All of the action will be streamed on ESPN3. Fans can also listen live on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College, on 101.3 The Game or online at Catamounts All-Access with Jake Marsh on the call.
 
National Life Group is the presenting sponsor of the 2019-20 Vermont men's basketball season