FINAL SCORE: Vermont 71, Brown 70
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Vermont (10-5) trailed by as many as 17 points, but battled back to match a program-best 10 non-conference wins with a 71-70 victory over Brown (4-11) on Tuesday night at Pizzitola Sports Center. UVM last had 10 non-conference wins during the 2019-20 campaign.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
Photos
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Hard-fought win tonight and I'm really proud of our guys' resiliency," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "But you know, we came out slow and I thought Brown played a lot harder and a lot tougher than us and we were on our heels. And you know, we've got to figure some stuff out. It's been a couple games in a row here where this has been kind of the trend and so we found a way which is important."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bears made four of their first five field goal attempts to take a quick 9-2 lead 2:33 into the game. Kalu Anya led the early attack with four points.
• UVM countered with a 7-2 run that was sparked by a three pointer from TJ Long. Aaron Deloney cashed in a three pointer on the following possession and Matt Veretto converted a layup to cut the deficit to 11-9 with 14:39 left in the half.
• Brown's offense caught fire in the middle part of the frame when it hit eight of its next 10 field goals to take a 32-17 lead with 8:20 left on the clock. Kino Lilly Jr. led a balanced attack as seven different Bears contributed to the 21-8 run. Vermont was 2-for-10 from the field during that stretch.  
• The non-conference foes exchanged baskets over the late minutes of the first half until a late 9-0 run that cut the UVM deficit to 42-34 before the break. Veretto scored six points in the final 3:10 of the half. Sam Alamutu registered a key block and converted a three-point play on the other end to help shift momentum for the Cats.
• TJ Hurley scored Vermont's first seven points coming out of the locker room as the Cats traded buckets with the Bears. Veretto pulled UVM to within six points on a layup that made the score 49-43 with 16:55 to go.
• Brown's lead stretched back to double digits minutes later when Felix Kloman knocked down a three pointer from the wing to go up 55-45 with 13:53 left in the second half.
• Vermont chipped away at the lead and eventually pulled to within four points on a Nick Fiorillo triple from the wing that made the score 60-56 with 8:06 to go. Ileri Ayo-Faleye knocked down two free throws shortly after to put the Cats within a possession for the first time since 14:15 in the first half.
• Hurley tied the game at 61-61 on a three pointer with 5:51 remaining. The score had not been tied since the opening seconds of the contest.
• The Cats and Bears traded free throws before five straight points for Brown to take a 68-63 lead with 3:15 remaining.
• Ayo-Faleye erased the five-point deficit on back-to-back possessions, knocking down a three pointer and sinking a jumper to tie the game at 68-68 before the two-minute mark. The Bears pulled back in front on the following possession when Aaron Coooley sank a jumper with 1:53 to go.
• Long drained the go-ahead bucket with 1:21 remaining when he made his second three pointer of the night to take a 71-70 lead. The trey was Long's lone field goal of the second half, giving Vermont its first and final lead of the night.
• Ayo-Faleye made a huge block for the Catamounts on the following possession, denying Lilly Jr. late in the shot clock to eventually force a violation.
• Brown had the ball in the final seconds and missed multiple opportunities to retake the lead. Lilly Jr. missed a pull-up jumper with a few seconds remaining, but the Bears regained possession after the UVM defense knocked the ball out of bounds. With less than 0:03 left the Catamounts denied Nana Owusu-Anane and Anya at the rim to seal the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Catamounts trailed for 37:18 of the non-conference finale.
• The 9-0 run at the end of the first half was Vermont's largest run of the night.
• Veretto led the Cats with 16 points in 22:24 of game action. The graduate student was 7-for-13 from the field.
• Long and Ayo-Faleye each had 11 points. Long knocked down 2-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc. Ayo-Faleye was 4-for-6 from the field.
• Hurley rounded out the Catamounts in double figures with 10 points. The sophomore scored all of his points in the second half, shooting 4-for-7 from the field in the frame.
• 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
The reigning America East Champions will begin league play when they host Maine on Saturday (Jan. 6) at Patrick Gym. The opening tip is set for 2 p.m. ET. Tickets are available for purchase a UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym box office on gameday. Saturday's game is presented by Northfield Savings Bank.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
The conference opener 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