FINAL SCORE: Vermont 74, UMBC 68
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Robin Duncan's career-high 20 points fueled the Vermont (12-10, 6-2 AE) offense as the Catamounts defeated UMBC (14-9, 4-4 AE) 74-68 on Saturday afternoon at Patrick Gym.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Great team effort today," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach, John Becker said. "Everyone that played scored, Robin with his career-high was awesome. And you know, I thought it was it was a good sign that you know we didn't necessarily play our best – I thought we missed a lot of opportunities – but we found a way to win. We had a double-digit lead that got down to two – they never took the lead – but we were teetering there for a little while and the guys got it back. I thought Kam's play with six seconds on the shot clock was probably the play of the game. We've got to rebound the ball better and we've got to make free throws. You know, those are two things that may catch up with us and they almost did today."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Retrievers opened the game with knockdown shooting, making six of their first eight baskets to lead the Catamounts 13-9 with 15:07 remaining in the first.
• Vermont responded with a 16-6 run, led by Duncan who produced eight of those points. Duncan was the first Catamount to reach double figures on the afternoon when he drove to the rim and laid in his 10th point for a 25-19 with 6:52 left in the half.
• The Cats increased their lead with a final 9-2 run late in the first half. Vermont hit four of their last seven field goals in the closing run to take a 34-23 lead into the locker room. TJ Hurley sank a jumper while getting fouled with 1:02 on the clock, and converted the and-one for UVM's final points of the half.
• Vermont and UMBC traded baskets in the early minutes of the second half, before before the Retrievers mounted a 15-5 run. UMBC hit 6-of-8 field goals during the run, led by eight points from Colton Lawrence, to cut the UVM lead to 46-44 with 12:35 remaining.
• The Catamounts countered with an 8-2 run over the next 3:11 to grow the lead to 54-46 with 9:24 left in the game. Ileri Ayo-Faleye threw down a dunk to cap off the UVM run.
• Vermont's lead stretched to double digits when Aaron Deloney sank a three-pointer to put the Cats up 66-54 with 3:33 left on the clock.
• UMBC chipped away at the UVM lead in the final minutes, but clutch free throws from Deloney and Hurley iced the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Duncan recorded his career-high 20 points on an efficient 8-for-12 shooting day from the floor. The UVM guard's eight field goals were also a career-high. Duncan pulled in seven rebounds and tallied three assists in the victory.
• Deloney recorded 13 points on the day, while shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. The senior made 2-of-6 attempts from long range and registered two steals on the defensive end.
• Kam Gibson also reached double figures, posting 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting. The Cincinatti, Ohio native drilled one three-pointer and made a key basket for the Catamounts, who were in the final seconds of the shot clock late in the second half.
• Finn Sullivan had a career-high nine rebounds, picking up eight boards on the defensive glass. He also registered a game-high three steals.
• 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
The Catamounts return to action on Saturday (Feb. 4) when they visit longtime rival UAlbany. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at McDonough Sports Complex, on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College, in Troy, N.Y. The matchup between the Catamounts and Great Danes will broadcast live on ESPN+. 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.
 
RALLY AROUND MENTAL HEALTH
Saturday's game was the annual Rally Around Mental Health Game. Rally Around Mental Health is an initiative that was created to help increase awareness and reduce stigma surrounding mental health. Created and led by student-athletes, the Rally Around Mental Health initiative offers educational programming and activities to promote mental health, resources for seeking help, and supports ongoing conversations about mental health through designated games for each sport. Visit the Rally Around Mental Health table for more information. If you would like to help the Rally Around Mental Health initiative bring more resources & programming to UVM Athletics, please visit go.uvm.edu/ramh.
 
McGee Automotive Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball