FINAL SCORE: Vermont 82, New Hampshire 68
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Ben Shungu dropped a career-high 29 points to lead Vermont (9-4, 1-0 AE) to an 82-68 victory over New Hampshire (6-4, 0-1 AE) in the conference opener on Thursday night at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts' victory was on Rally Around Mental Health Night presented by Inspired Closets.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"First off, I want to thank all of the fans and the Pep Band – who came back early – for creating a really great atmosphere tonight," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "It was a really good college game. We had Ben Shungu on our side tonight with his career-high 29. He really took over the game in the second half and loosened everything up. Ryan Davis started to get going, and that's what you need – your two best guys to step up when you need it."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Shungu drilled a deep three pointer for the game's first basket, to give UVM a lead that it would keep until the eight-minute mark of the first half. Vermont's early lead stretched to as large as seven points with a driving layup by Robin Duncan that put the Cats up 19-12 with 11:34 left in the opening frame. New Hampshire responded with an 11-3 run to take its first lead, up 23-22 with 8:00 remaining in the half.
• The America East counterparts would exchange baskets for the remainder of the first half. Down two points after a pair of free throws by Blondeau Tchoukuiegno, the Catamounts used their final timeout of the half to craft up a play. Shungu found Ryan Davis at the top of the key who drilled a trey with 0:09 left for the 36-35 halftime lead.
• Vermont opened the second half on a 10-4 run in the first 3:33 to grab a 46-39 lead. UNH responded with a 14-8 run to cut the deficit to one point, trailing 54-53 with 10:59 remaining.
• The Catamounts pulled away in the middle stage of the second half with a 7-0 run that was capped off when Shungu drilled a long three with 7:05 left on the clock. In a 34-second span, Shungu converted on a driving layup, hustled back for a steal, and sank the trey that put Vermont up 69-59. The UVM guard sank eight points down the stretch to reach his career high.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Shungu was an impressive 11-for-16 from the field and 4-for-6 from deep in his career outing. The graduate student hit 3-of-4 free throws, added four assists, and recorded two steals. Shungu hits the 20-point mark for the third time this season and fifth time in his career.
• Davis had 19 points for the Catamounts on an efficient 7-of-10 from the field for a 19-point night. The UVM forward hit 2-of-2 attempts from deep and was 3-for-4 from the line. Davis also matched a game-high seven rebounds – Isaiah Powell also picked up seven boards.
• Duncan and Justin Mazzulla also reached double figures with 12 points and 10 points, respectively. Duncan was 5-for-7 from the floor and hit one three pointer for his season-high. Mazzulla was 4-for-7 on the night en route to his 10 points.
• With today's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Foodbank as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Vermont Mutual has committed to donating $15,000 to Vermont Foodbank for the 2021 season. A special thank you to Vermont Mutual Insurance for their support. Vermont Mutual Insurance, protecting Vermonters since 1828.

UP NEXT
Vermont returns to action on Wednesday (Jan. 12) when it hosts Stony Brook in an America East battle at Patrick Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. Wednesday's action will broadcast live on ESPN3. 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