FINAL SCORE: Vermont 73, Northeastern 71
BOSTON – Vermont (8-2) grinded out a 73-71 road victory over Northeastern (4-6) on Wednesday night at Matthews Arena to mark the program's best 10-game start in 67 seasons. The 1956-57 campaign was the last time UVM started 8-2.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Huge road win tonight," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "Northeastern is a big physical team and really tested us in the paint tonight. I thought as the game wore on we got stronger. After trailing for most of the night our guys found a way again tonight. I thought AD's leadership was huge tonight for our group that was missing a couple of key players. TJ Long with back-to-back late game heroics. The kid is something else. Really proud of the effort tonight."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Northeastern opened the game on a 6-0 run before back-to-back triples from Nick Fiorillo to tie the game with 17:22 left in the first half. Both squads traded three pointers in the early minutes, combining to go 5-for-8 from long range as the Huskies led 12-9 at the first media timeout.
• After exchanging baskets, Northeastern pulled away with a 9-2 run to take a double-digit lead. Luka Sakota scored five points for NU who led 24-13 with 12:08 remaining in the half.
• Northeastern's largest lead came with 9:41 on the clock when Rashad King made back-to-back layups to go up 30-17.
• Vermont countered with a 13-2 run over the next 3:55 to pull to within one possession. Brenton Mills sank a three pointer from the corner to cut the deficit 32-30 with 5:46 remaining.
• The Cats and Huskies traded points down the stretch as Northeastern remained in front, up 43-40 heading into the break.
• Vermont doubled up Northeastern 8-4 in the first 1:48 of the second half to tie the game and eventually take the lead. Aaron Deloney made a layup that knotted the game at 45-45 and Ileri Ayo-Faleye canned a corner three after a Northeastern make to put the Cats up 48-47 with 18:12 left in the game. Ayo-Faleye's triple gave UVM its first lead since there was 15:54 on the clock in the first half.
• The Catamounts' lead held for only 59 seconds, with Jared Turner quickly making a three pointer to put the Huskies back in front. Fiorillo briefly tied the game with a dunk that made the score 50-50 with 16:52 remaining.  
• Northeastern countered with a 12-3 run to take a 62-53 lead with 9:53 remaining.
• A TJ Long driving layup at the end of the shot clock sparked a 10-2 run for the Catamounts. Fiorillo's free throw capped off the run, cutting the deficit to 64-63 with 5:07 to go.
• A layup from Chris Doherty extended the Northeastern lead to 66-63, but Long answered with back-to-back treys to put Vermont up 69-66 with 1:09 remaining.
• Ayo-Faleye and Long made four free throws after a basket from Masai Troutman to ice the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts trailed for 34:08 of the 40 minutes played in a game that only had three lead changes.
• Vermont made 15-of-29 (51.7%) attempts from beyond the arc, and limited Northeastern to 5-for-17 (29.4%) shooting from the perimeter.
• Long led all scorers with his second consecutive 23-point game. The junior made 8-of-15 field goal attempts and was 5-for-9 from long range.
• Deloney matched a career-high eight assists in the victory. The UVM guard also tied a season-high 15 points, making 6-of-13 field goal attempts, including three triples.
• Fiorillo was also in double figures, registering a season high 15 points and a career-high five assists.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to King Street 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 to action on Saturday (Dec. 9) when it hosts Patriot League preseason favorites Colgate on Youth Day, presented by Healthy Living. The opening tip is set for 2 p.m. ET at Patrick Gym. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. Kids 12 and younger will be granted free admission upon arrival while tickets last.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Saturday's game will broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. An international stream will also be available on AmericaEast.TV. Fans can listen to the game 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 Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball