FINAL SCORE: Vermont 82, Hartford 72
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Despite a late Hartford (3-11, 1-1 AE) comeback, Vermont (13-4, 5-0 AE) rallied for an 82-72 victory to remain perfect in conference play on Saturday night at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts begin conference play 5-0 for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"It was a hard-fought win tonight in front of a great crowd," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "Thank you to everyone who came out. It was good to be in a close game to feel that again. I thought we played a really good first half, but in the second we kind of lost our defense and offense. But, the starters did a great job coming back in and regaining our footing defensively, especially with Benny and Ryan making plays for us down the stretch."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The conference foes traded points for the first 6:37 of the opening half, knotted at 10-10. Ben Shungu had five of Vermont's points in the early minutes as the Cats hit four of their first seven attempts from the floor. Aaron Deloney would then lead a 9-2 charge in the next 1:54, with four points of his own, to take the lead and eventually put UVM up by seven. The Catamounts would own a 21-16 lead by the midway point of the first half.
• Vermont maintained its lead over Hartford and exploded for a 17-6 run that started with a pair of free throws by Ryan Davis with 5:11 left in the frame. The UVM burst would put the Catamounts up 42-26 with 0:45 left on the clock. Shungu would drill a three pointer with 0:03 left in the half to give Vermont a 45-28 halftime lead.
• Hartford began to chip away at the lead in the early minutes of the second half. Moses Flowers finished a layup with 15:52 left in the second half that sparked a 21-2 run over a six-minute span that tied the game at 56-56. The Hawks would eventually take the lead when a Flowers layup put Hartford up 63-61.
• Shungu quickly responded with a three-pointer for the Catamounts, but a layup by Jared Kimbrough put the Hawks back in front. Davis countered with a three-pointer seconds later to give Vermont a 67-65 lead with 5:26 remaining. Isaiah Powell finished a layup and drew a foul to extend the Catamount lead. The two UVM baskets kickstarted an 11-3 Vermont run that would put the game out of reach.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Vermont converted on 28-of-53 (52.8%) field goal attempts and 9-of-21 (42.9%) its three-point attempts. The Catamounts have shot at least 50.0% from the field and 40.0% from beyond the arc in all five games of conference play.
• Shungu's game-high 24 points came on an efficient 9-for-23 shooting night. The UVM guard hit 3-of-4 attempts from deep and cashed in a trio of free throws. Shungu also added one assist and registered a game-high two steals.
• Davis also had over 20 points with a 21-point outing for the Catamounts. The senior was 6-for-9 from the floor, 3-for-4 from long range, and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Davis also pulled in four rebounds and drew a game-high seven fouls.
• Powell reached double figures for the eighth time this season with 16 points. The Vermont forward converted on 5-of-9 shooting attempts, including one triple. The senior also hit 5-of-6 free throws, with four coming in the second half.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to COTS, the Committee on Temporary Shelter, as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

UP NEXT
Vermont heads back on the road on Wednesday (Jan. 26) to face Stony Brook (12-6, 4-1 AE) at Island Federal Arena. The opening tip is slated for 7 p.m. and can be seen live on ESPN+. Fans can listen for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield IMG College on The Game, which will air on 97.1 FM in Burlington, 105.9 FM in Plattsburgh, and 960 AM around the rest of the region. The radio broadcast is also available online at Catamounts All-Access with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball