FINAL SCORE: Vermont 93, UMass Lowell 81
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont (15-10, 9-2 AE) posted a season-high shooting performance, behind five Catamounts in double figures, beat UMass Lowell (19-7, 7-5 AE) 93-81 on Saturday night at Patrick Gym. UVM's winning streak extended to seven games with the victory.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Great win tonight, huge win for us as far as the standings go and just playing a team that that you know, beat us pretty good down there," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. 'The crowd was great tonight, the atmosphere was electric , and our guys played great/ I mean, we shot the ball, you know, so well. They made 13 threes last time against us and we made 14 tonight. And that I thought, Dylan did a great job again – that's two games in a row that I think he has been 8-for-8 making free throws down the stretch, which is a huge deal. Unfortunately, kind of at the end they seemed to make every shot and made it a little closer than we want it to but, but great win, great atmosphere and you know, I'm really proud of the team."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Finn Sullivan got the Catamounts rolling right from the opening tip, sinking three-pointers on back-to-back possessions. The fifth-year guard added two steals in the early minutes as Vermont opened the game on an 8-0 run, forcing UMass Lowell to use a timeout in the first 2:42.
• The conference foes traded baskets and UVM grabbed its first double-digit lead of the night on a Matt Veretto triple that put the Cats up 24-14 with 10:28 left in the half.
• Vermont's lead grew to 17 points with 3:24 remaining in the opening frame on a layup by Robin Duncan. The guard's basket capped off a 10-2 run that put the Cats up 42-25.
• UVM and UMass Lowell exchanged points in the final minutes of the first half, with Vermont taking a 46-29 lead into the break.
• The Catamounts' hot shooting continued in the second half, with Sullivan finding a wide-open Veretto for a three-pointer on the first possession. Veretto's trey started a 12-4 run for Vermont to take a 58-33 lead with 17:10 remaining. UVM had makes on each of its first five shots of the half.
• UMass Lowell countered with a 10-2 run over a span of 3:14 to cut the Vermont lead to 60-43. Everette Hammond had six points to lead the UML run.
• Aaron Deloney led a 10-1 run for the Catamounts that grew the lead back up to 26 points. Deloney drained a three-pointer from the wing and Sullivan threw down a dunk to cap off the run and take a 70-44 advantage with 11:59 remaining.
• The River Hawks responded with a 15-6 run to cut the deficit to 17 points with 6:46 remaining. Hammond had seven points to lead UMass Lowell's surge. Ayinde Hikim would make a layup minutes later to shrink Vermont's lead to 85-74 with 2:44 left in the game.
• Dylan Penn made six-straight field goals down the stretch to keep the Catamounts in front. Vermont was able to maintain a double-digit lead over UMass Lowell.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts shot a season-high 62.5% (30-48) from the field and 60.9% (14-23) from deep. Vermont's 14 treys are its highest of the season.
• Sullivan matched a career-high 10 field goals en route to a game-high 25 points. The San Diego, Calif. native made 10-of-18 attempts from the floor, including a 5-for-12 rate from beyond the arc.
• Penn tallied 20 points on an efficient 5-for-8 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. The fifth-year guard has gone 8-for-8 at the line in each of his last two games.
• Duncan recorded 15 points, five rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. He went 6-for-7 from the field. The Evansville, Ind. native played in his 138th game at Vermont, which puts him at No. 3 on the program's all-time games played list.
• Veretto and Deloney rounded out the Catamounts in double figures with 14 points and 10 points, respectively. Veretto was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field, and 3-for-3 from deep. Deloney was 3-for-5 on the night, including a perfect 2-for-2 from long range.
• 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 continues its two-game homestand on Wednesday (Feb. 15) when it hosts New Hampshire at Patrick Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on gameday. The matchup between the Catamounts and Wildcats will broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rob Ryan and Bernie Cieplicki on the call. International fans can watch the game live 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 Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball