FINAL SCORE: Vermont 83, Siena 69
BURLNGTON, Vt. – Gus Yalden scored a career high 29 points on Wednesday night as Vermont (8-5) cruised past Siena (9-3) 83-69 from Patrick Gymnasium, handing the Saints just their third loss of the season. With the win, the Catamounts recorded their third consecutive win, improving to 4-1 at home.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score
CatamounTV Highlights
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"Really good win tonight against a good Siena team. We knew it was going to be a tough physical battle tonight. I thought we did a really good job of guarding them and limiting them to one shot. And then offensively, Gus was obviously spectacular, and I thought Sean continues to play at a high level. Noah continued to play well. The TJ's really haven't got it going the last couple games, and obviously they draw a lot of attention and free up guys. Our ceiling is still out there, obviously, but we have been playing a lot closer to Vermont basketball the last couple games and it's exciting to see."
HOW IT HAPPENED

• By the first media timeout with 15:25 remaining in the first half, Vermont held a 9-8 lead, seeing Yalden score seven of those nine points, making two layups and a three-pointer while Sean Blake added a layup of his own to earn the Catamounts a one-point lead.
• Coming out of that media timeout, Blake was able to find Noah Barnett in the paint who muscled his way up for his first basket of the game. On the following possession, TJ Hurley executed a mid-range pull up, making the bank shot while getting fouled for the and-one opportunity, where he made the free-throw earning the Catamounts a 14-8 lead with 14:21 in the first frame remaining.
• A made layup from Blake with 13:39 on the clock forced Siena to take a full timeout while Vermont led 16-8, orchestrating a 10-0 scoring run.
• Patrick Gymnasium erupted with 13:01 on the clock when Blake found David Simon for an alley-oop, securing Simon's first basket of the game, extending the Catamount lead to double digits, 18-8.
• Prior to the media timeout with 7:24 left in the first half, Vermont was able to maintain their double-digit lead, being up 30-17 after Yalden secured seven more points and TJ Long drained his first three-pointer of the game after being assisted by Lucas Mari. Barnett also added two points, making his second basket of the game.
• Yalden stayed hot with 4:51 remaining in the opening half, pulling up for three from deep behind the arc, splashing the three-pointer, earning Vermont the 35-20 advantage.
• The Catamounts capped off the first frame edging Siena out on a 6-5 scoring run, taking a 41-27 lead into halftime. Yalden led a game-high 19 points at the half.
• Vermont came out on fire to begin the second half, dialing up an 11-4 scoring run, seeing five different Catamounts contribute to the offensive surge highlighted by a three-pointer from Hurley and an emphatic two hand slam by Barnett as the Catamounts got out to a 52-31 advantage with 16:04 of gametime remaining.
• Before the second media timeout of the final half, a Ben Johnson three-pointer and a layup from Long cut into an offensive push from Siena as the Catamounts held onto a hefty lead, 59-41, with 11:31 left to play in regulation.
• Siena orchestrated a 10-3 scoring run over the next three minutes, getting baskets from four different players as they were able to cut the lead to 11 with 7:44 of gametime remaining. Vermont held onto the overall lead, 62-51. Yalden scored all three points for UVM to push back against the Saints as they attempted the comeback.
• Mari got involved in the scoring with 6:21 remaining, beating a Saint defender wide, driving hard to the basket where he rose up for a powerful slam dunk, earning the Catamounts a 67-51 lead.
• At a media timeout with 3:57 to go, Siena was able to build a 9-5 scoring run that brought them within 12, seeing UVM hold onto a 72-60 advantage with time quickly running down.
• UVM finished off the game on an 11-9 scoring run, seeing Blake, Hurley, Mari, and Yalden all score in the final minutes as Vermont walked away with the 83-69 home win on Wednesday night.

 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Yalden scored a career high and game high 29 points on 10-15 shooting from the field, 3-6 from long range, and 6-8 from the charity stripe, while adding six rebounds, one steal, and one block.
• Blake recorded a career high eight rebounds on Wednesday against Siena while producing 14 points for the second straight game and three assists.
• Hurley scored 13 points while adding two rebounds.
• Long, Mari, Johnson, and Blake all recorded a team-high three assists against the Saints.
• Barnett tallied three blocks, knotting a career high.
• The Catamounts got the better field goal percentage shooting 52.6% (30-57) from the field while Siena shot 38.8% (26-67) from the field.
• UVM outrebounded Siena 36-35.
• UVM had 42 points in the paint to Siena's 28.
• With today's Win, Vermont Mutual Insurance Group will donate $100 to the Lund Family Center through the Cat's Win, Community Win's initiative. Vermont Mutual has donated over $5 Million Dollars since launching their Charitable Giving Fund in 2014.

 
UP NEXT
Following the win over Siena, the Catamounts will wrap up their three-game homestand, getting three days to prepare for their second straight MAAC opponent, hosting Iona on Saturday (Dec. 20) from Patrick Gymnasium. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The radio broadcast will available via the Varsity Network App with Brian McLaughlin on the call.
 
Vermont Federal Credit Union is the presenting sponsor of 2025-26 Vermont Men's Basketball Season