FINAL SCORE: Vermont 68, Saint Anselm 66
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Vermont men's basketball team officially kicked off the 2024-25 campaign with a 68-66 win over Saint Anselm Saturday afternoon from Patrick Gym. The Catamounts trailed by seven with 4:45 to play but closed strong to pickup the win.
 
RELATED LINKS
Postgame - Coach Becker
Video: Morgan Stanley Player of the Game - Blake
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HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Hawks started the game off on a 5-0 run led by an early Josh Morrisette three to start the game.
• Sam Alamutu provided a spark to the Catamount offense scoring 7 points in the first 6 minutes.
• After the 8-minute media timeout Vermont went on a 16-5 run to end the half. Catamounts were down 28-26 at the half.
• Alamutu contributed nine points for Vermont in the first half.
• In the second half at the 12-minute media timeout Vermont and Saint Anselm were all square 40-40 after multiple lead changes.
• After the eight-minute media timeout Ileri Ayo-Faleye would hit a three to cut the lead to one (52-51).
• Morrisette would score 10 straight points for the Hawks to extend the Saint Anselm lead to six (57-51).
• With 4:45 to play the Catamounts trailed 59-52.
• A 9-2 Vermont run was capped by a TJ Hurley three-pointer to tie the contest at 61 with 2:19 to play.
• Saint Anselm responded with the next four points taking a 65-61 lead with 1:21 to play after two made free throws.
• After a driving layup from first year Sean Blake the game was knotted at 66 with 38 seconds to play.
• The Catamounts made a defensive stop and had 11 seconds to win the game.
• With one second remaining Blake would drive and get fouled on a layup attempt. He would hit both free throws to provide the margin of victory for the Catamounts.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Hurley led all Vermont scorers with 17 points. The UVM guard pulled in five rebounds and dished out three assists.
• Sam Alamutu filled the stat sheet with 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
• In his debut, Sean Blake had 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting including a go-ahead free throw to win the game.
• In the second half, the Catamounts shot 48% from the field.
• Vermont was dominant on the glass. They out rebounded Saint Anselm 42 to 28.
• Josh Morrisette led the Hawks with 27 points for Saint Anselm.
• With the win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to Vermont Children's Trust Foundation as part of the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.

UP NEXT
UVM wraps up its preseason exhibitions against crosstown foe Saint Michael's on Wednesday Oct 30. The game tips off at 7 p.m. ET at Patrick Gym Tickets are available for purchase at UVMathletics.com/Tickets or by visiting the Patrick Gym Box Office on game day. The final exhibition will not have a video broadcast available. 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