FINAL SCORE: No. 4 Arkansas 75, No. 13 Vermont 71
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Catamounts fought all the way to the end, but ultimately fell short as 13th-seeded Vermont (28-6, 17-1 AE) suffered a 75-71 loss to fourth-ranked Arkansas (26-8, 13-5 SEC) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night at KeyBank Arena. UVM closes out the year with 28 wins is the second-highest total in program history.
 
RELATED LINKS
Postgame Press Conference
Box Score: Web | PDF
Photos
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Obviously disappointed that our season ended," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said, "But I couldn't be more proud of my team and the way we competed tonight. I mean, it just – we wish we could have shot free throws better. We wish we could have rebounded a little bit better at the end, but these guys left it all out on the court against a really, really good Arkansas team."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vermont jumped out to a 13-8 lead by the first media timeout, with a quick six points from Ryan Davis. The senior sank a pair of triples for the Catamounts, who led until Davonte Davis knotted the game at 13-13 with 12:37 left in the first half. Vermont took back the lead and stretched it to four points, but Arkansas countered with a 7-0 run to lead 22-17 by the under-8 media timeout.
• The Razorbacks remained in front of the Catamounts until the clock hit 1:46, as Robin Duncan converted a layup to tie the game at 27-27. Arkansas capped off the first half with a 7-0 run to take a 34-27 lead into the break.
• UVM surged out of the locker room with a 12-2 run to pull back in front, taking a 39-36 lead with 15:33 left in regulation. Davis fueled the Vermont run with eight points, including a pair of treys in the opening minutes of the second frame. The Razorbacks would claw back in front, but Robin Duncan would put the Catamounts up 51-50 with a three-pointer at the 9:47 mark.
• Stanley Umude sank two free throws seconds later to put Arkansas back in front. The Razorbacks' lead stretched to seven points with 4:15 left, but the Catamounts pulled to within a basket in the final seconds.
• Ben Shungu drilled a trey to make the score 73-71 with 12 seconds left in the game. Vermont nearly forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds with Finn Sullivan and Isaiah Powell pressuring JD Notae. The officials originally gave the Catamounts possession, but overturned the call after video review.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Davis and Shungu led the Catamounts with 20 points each. Davis was an efficient 7-of-10 from the field, including a 4-for-5 mark from long range. Shungu made 8-of-17 field goals and pulled in six rebounds.
• Justin Mazzulla also registered double figures with a 13-point outing. The guard nearly registered a double-double, picking up nine rebounds. Mazzulla also tallied a team-high four assists, which matched Sullivan's total.
• Vermont converted on 44.8% (26-of-58) of its field goal attempts, and sank nine triples. 

Key Motors of South Burlington is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball