FINAL SCORE: Vermont 80, Binghamton 55
VESTAL, N.Y. – Four Catamounts reached double figures to lead Vermont (11-10, 5-2 AE) to an 80-55 victory over Binghamton on Wednesday night at BU's Events Center. UVM moved in to first place in the America East standings with the win.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Great game tonight here in Binghamton," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach, John Becker said. "I thought we were really good on both sides of the ball, holding them to 55 points and keeping their two offensive leaders in Falko and Petcash under control. Offensively, I thought we shared the ball great, and shot the ball great as a team. I thought Dylan in the first half was as good as he's been all year, and Finn making three-straight threes. It was how we're capable of playing on both sides of the ball. I thought we were really tough against a physical Binghamton team that has the second-best defense in our league. We continue to get better and trend in the right direction – I'm really proud of our guys."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Catamounts and Bearcats traded baskets with lights-out shooting in the early minutes. Binghamton made six of its first nine field goals, while Vermont made 8-of-9 from the floor to take a 19-14 lead 4:34 into the game. Finn Sullivan drained a trio of three-pointers, all coming on consecutive possessions, to lead the Catamounts.
• UVM grabbed its first double-digit lead of the evening when Aaron Deloney sank a corner three-pointer to go up 24-14 with 14:17 left in the half.
• The Catamounts maintained their lead over the Bearcats, which stretched to 15 points when Dylan Penn's hook shot put Vermont up 42-27 with 2:51 remaining in the first frame. The UVM defense stifled the Binghamton offense, holding the Bearcats to without a field goal for a stretch of 4:58 late in the half.
• Sullivan gave Vermont its largest lead of the opening half, converting the and-one with 1:44 left for the 45-29 advantage. The Catamounts would take a 46-31 lead into the break.
• The offenses cooled off in the second half with Vermont shooting 1-for-8 from the field and Binghamton 3-for-9 in the first 8:16. UVM went without a field goal for a stretch of 5:34 until TJ Hurley drilled a contested three-pointer from the corner to stop the drought. Hurley's triple put Vermont up 53-38 with 11:44 remaining in the game.
• UVM's lead neared 20 points when an 8-2 run put the Catamounts up 61-42 with 8:24 left on the clock. Sullivan sank his fourth triple of the night for the 19-point advantage.
• Hurley grew Vermont's lead over 20 points when he added his second trey for a 70-49 cushion with 4:56 remaining. The Catamounts grabbed their largest lead of the evening with a pair of free throws by Deloney to go up 77-52 in the final minutes.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Vermont offense went 50.0% (28-56) from the field and 46.2% (12-26) from long range. The Catamounts shot an impressive 56.3% (18-32) in the first half. UVM held Binghamton to a 40.7% (22-54) shooting night from the floor.
• Sullivan led the Catamounts with a game-high 20 points on a 6-for-13 performance from the field. The guard drained 5-of-10 attempts from long range, pulled in six rebounds, and tallied four assists. Sullivan also recorded one block and two steals on the defensive end.
• Penn made 8-of-14 attempts from the floor en route to an 18-point outing. The fifth-year senior recorded 14 points in the first half. Penn added three assists and recorded two steals.
• Matt Veretto reached double figures for the fourth time in league play, tallying 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The graduate student converted 2-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc.
• Hurley rounded out the Catamounts in double figures with 11 points. The rookie made three key triples in the second half.
• Robin Duncan produced a game-high eight rebounds and five assists. The Evansville, Ind. Native recorded eight points on 3-of-5 shooting.
• With tonight's win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to King Street Youth Center as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $80,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.  

UP NEXT
Vermont returns home on Saturday (Jan. 28) to host conference rival UMBC at Patrick Gym. Tip-off between the Catamounts and Retrievers is slated for 12 p.m. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. Saturday's game will broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. Fans can listen to the action for free on the Vermont Sports Network, from Learfield 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 via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
McGee Automotive Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball