FINAL SCORE: Vermont 65, Bryant 48
BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont (23-6, 13-1 AE) clinched at least a share of its eighth-straight America East Regular Season Title with a 65-48 victory over Bryant (17-11, 9-4 AE) Saturday night at Patrick Gym. UVM's regular season title streak is currently the second-longest active streak in the country, behind only Gonzaga (11) who is second in the West Coast Conference standings.
 
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COACH'S QUOTE
"Historic night here, big win against a really talented Bryant team," Cioffi Men's Basketball Head Coach John Becker said. "With that, we win at least a share of our eighth straight regular season title, which could be the longest in the country depending on how Gonzaga does this year. In the second half, you know I challenged our guys at halftime, and I thought Aaron, TJ Long, and Shamir really stepped up and made huge shots tonight which was obviously a welcomed sight. I thought Sam did a great job off the bench, gave us energy, gave us rebounding, toughness down there. Huge win, great accomplishment, and I'm really proud of our guys.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Bryant got scoring started with a three-point shot, UVM bounced back, going on a 7-0 scoring run led by Shamir Bogues scoring the first four points. TJ Long drilled the first three for Vermont to take the early 7-3 lead with 15:18 left of the first half.
• The Bulldogs answered back, dialing up an 8-0 run led by two made three-pointers from Connor Withers and Rafael Pinzon, taking the lead by four, up 11-7 with 11:40 remaining in the half.
• Both teams exchanged lengthy scoring runs before Bryant's Tyler Brelsford won the lead back for the Bulldogs with 4:44 remaining in the half, swishing a three to take the lead, 20-17.
• A strong move by Jace Roquemore driving to the rim brought Vermont within one, 20-19, with 3:32 left of the first half.
• UVM gained the lead back thanks to Matt Veretto making all three of his free throws after getting fouled on an attempt from long distance. Long followed with another three with 2:51 remaining, putting the Catamounts ahead 25-20.
• Another offensive push by Bryant enabled the Bulldogs to head into halftime with a two-point lead. Daniel Rivera concluded scoring for the half with a strong take under the basket, giving Bryant a 27-25 lead.
• Bryant opened the second half on a 7-2 scoring run, getting ahead of Vermont, 34-27 two minutes into the final half.
• Long ignited Patrick Gym after swishing two three-pointers in front of the scorers' table, bringing the Catamounts back within one, down 34-33, with 15:59 remaining.
• The Catamounts regained the lead in emphatic fashion after Aaron Deloney and Long took turns splashing three-point buckets with 12:22 left of gametime, pressuring Bryant to take a timeout. Vermont led 43-38.
• Deloney collected his fourth assist of the night after connecting with Sam Alamutu, making a strong move in the paint to create space for a good layup attempt, handing Vermont the 45-40 advantage with 10:51 remaining.
• Vermont gained a 50-42 lead after Shamir Bogues battled his way to the rim, executing his layup attempt with 9:20 of gametime remaining.
• Deloney kept the pressure on, scoring back-to-back baskets from three to give Vermont the 58-46 edge with 3:23 left of the game.
• The Catamounts finished the game on a 7-2 scoring run led by Ileri Ayo-Faleye with four points, securing the 65-48 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Long earned a game high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor and 6-for-10 from the three-point line. Long tied his season high with three pointers made Saturday night vs Bryant, making six. Long also tallied eight rebounds and a block to go along with his game-high in points.
• Bogues contributed 16 points, a team-high nine rebounds, a game-high three steals, and two assists in Vermont's win. Bogues earned a season-high five offensive rebounds.
• Deloney had a team-high four assists to go along with 13 points, and four rebounds.
• UVM's bench outscored Bryant's bench 20-3.
• The Catamounts had the better shooting on the night, shooting 35.9% (23-of-64) from the field, while the Bulldogs made 31.7% (19-of-60) of their attempts. Vermont also shot better from distance making 29% (9-of-31) while Bryant shot 25% (6-of-24) from three.
• 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. Since its inauguration in 2017, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group has donated over $94,000 to local non-profits through the Cats Win, Community Wins initiative.

UP NEXT
Vermont closes out its home regular season on Saturday (Mar. 2) when it hosts second-place UMass Lowell on Senior Day, presented by UVM Health Advantage. Tip-off has changed to 3 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. The matchup between the Catamounts and River Hawks 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 Family is the presenting sponsor of Vermont men's basketball