FINAL SCORE: No. 1 Vermont 79, No. 5 Binghamton 57
BURLINGTON, Vt. – For the sixth time in the past seven seasons, top-seeded Vermont (22-10, 14-2 AE) has advanced to the title game, defeating No. 5 Binghamton (13-18, 8-8 AE) 79-57 in the Jersey Mike's America East Semifinals on Tuesday night at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts advance to the title game for the ninth time under Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Great, great atmosphere tonight in a really well-played game by us on both sides of the ball," Becker said. "I thought we were really, really good tonight. It's just a lot a lot of things: I thought in the first half, you know, our bench came in and gave us great minutes and really kind of picked us up. Ileri getting on the ground for that loose ball I thought was a big play. And then Dylan making four threes in the first half which was huge. The were playing off him, like teams have been playing all year. You just see it with our guys right now. Once this week started, it's gone to a different level. Dylan is a champion, he knows what this week is like, this is why he came here. And he looks like a guy on a mission and just playing at a really, really high level."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Robin Duncan contributed to Vermont's first three baskets to open the game. The fifth-year senior converted a layup on a backdoor cut for the first points of the evening. He then recorded an offensive rebound that led to a Dylan Penn bucket, and followed it up with a steal and an assist on Kam Gibson's fastbreak layup for a 6-1 UVM lead.
• Vermont and Binghamton exchanged baskets through the midway point of the first half. Ileri Ayo-Faleye corralled an offensive rebound and floated home the putback as the Catamounts took a 16-10 lead with 8:39 remaining.
• Penn caught fire for UVM, scoring 16 points in a 23-6 run that put the Catamounts up 39-16 with 0:46 left in the opening half. The fifth-year senior knocked down four treys during that stretch, including a pair on back-to-back possessions. Penn scored eight straight points for the Catamounts in a span of 1:21.
• Vermont would take a 39-18 lead into the break after Miles Gibson knocked down a mid-range jumper with 0:21 left to stop a Binghamton scoring drought that lasted over three minutes.
• Gibson scored UVM's first 11 points coming out of the half, carrying the Catamounts on an 11-4 run that stretched the lead to 54-20 with 16:24 left in the game.
• Binghamton made four of its next five shots to respond with a 10-5 run and cut the deficit to 21 points. Jacob Falko knocked down a deep three-pointer with 12:39 remaining to make the score 55-34.
• The Catamounts nearly opened up a 30-point lead with 7:25 left in the second half when Aaron Deloney fueled an 8-2 run that put Vermont up 63-36. The senior scored four points during the run.
• The America East counterparts combined for only four misses from the field in the final seven minutes with the Catamounts making 7-of-9 attempts. The Bearcats made 8-of-10 attempts from the floor, including a 5-for-7 rate from beyond the arc.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• UVM's win streak extends to 14 games, which is the third-longest streak during Becker's tenure.
• Vermont sank 60.0% (33-55) of its field goal attempts on the night, and held Binghamton to a 42.6% (20-47) shooting percentage.
• Penn was one point shy of matching his season-high scoring output. The Evansville, Ind. native tallied 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting from the field. Penn recorded 20 points in the first half, which included a career-high four treys.
• Gibson recorded 15 points on a near-perfect 7-for-8 night from the floor. The fifth-year senior was 1-for-2 from long range.
• Deloney also reached double figures, scoring 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
• Duncan led the Catamounts with eight rebounds and eight assists. Four of his boards came on the offensive glass.
• 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
Top-seeded Vermont will host No. 2 UMass Lowell (26-7, 10-5 AE) in the 2023 Jersey Mike's America East Championship Game on Saturday (Mar. 11) at Patrick Gym. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. ET. The title game will be nationally televised on ESPN 2, and will be available for streaming on ESPN+. 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 and Bernie Cieplicki on the call.

AMERICA EAST CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET INFO | Release
Season ticket holders can purchase their regular season seats for the championship through their online ticket account, by calling the UVM Ticket Office at (802) 656-4410, or in person at the UVM Ticket Office. Season ticket holders can purchase their regular season seats for the championship game until Wednesday, March 8 at 5 p.m. Please contact the UVM Ticket Office at Athletic.Tickets@uvm.edu or 802-656-4410 with any questions regarding your online account or the playoff ticket claim process.
 
Sales to the general public will begin on Thursday, March 9 at 3 p.m. in-person at the Patrick Gym ticket office and online at UVMathletics.com/Tickets. Phone orders will not be taken until all in-person customers have been assisted.

CHAMPIONSHIP TICKET PRICES
Courtside: $55
Padded Reserve: $45
Reserved: $40
UVM Students: Free

Visit UVMathletics.com for news, scores, and updates regarding the America East Men's Basketball Tournament.   
 
McGee Automotive Group is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball