The University of Vermont men’s basketball team started its latest America East postseason run on a positive note. The Catamounts opened the floodgates with a 38-27 first half against the Bryant University Bulldogs, shooting over 55% from the field. They did not look back from there. Vermont would secure the 77-57 win by the final buzzer. “I’m really happy for the guys,” said UVM men’s basketball head coach John Becker. “To find a way to have such an impressive win in the opening round of the playoffs … it’s the hardest thing to do in college basketball to try to win a one-bid league, and I thought our guys acquitted themselves really well tonight.”Vermont would finish their night shooting over 56% from the field and 45% from deep with nine three-pointers as a team. TJ Hurley, the America East player of the year, led the charge for Vermont, scoring a game-high 29 points on an efficient 9-12 from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc. Hurley says this outing came with a bit of extra motivation, knowing his next loss could be the last time he plays a college basketball game in the final stretch of his senior season. “It’s win or go home. For me specifically, it’s win, or it’s the end of my career,” Hurley said. “There’s some pressure behind that, but that’s what we want at this time of the year. We want to have the pressure situations.”Hurley was backed by great first-half performances from Gus Yalden and Sean Blake. They both finished the first 20 minutes of play with 10 points apiece, leading them to both finish with 12 points. Noah Barnett also contributed well, scoring eight points and snagging seven rebounds, while Momo Nkugwa scored eight points off the bench, including an electrifying posterizing dunk in the first half. Vermont will host one of the America East semifinal games on Tuesday, March 10, at Patrick Gym. They will play the No. 3 seed NJIT at 7 p.m. inside Patrick Gymnasium.
The University of Vermont men’s basketball team started its latest America East postseason run on a positive note.
The Catamounts opened the floodgates with a 38-27 first half against the Bryant University Bulldogs, shooting over 55% from the field. They did not look back from there. Vermont would secure the 77-57 win by the final buzzer.
Advertisement
“I’m really happy for the guys,” said UVM men’s basketball head coach John Becker. “To find a way to have such an impressive win in the opening round of the playoffs … it’s the hardest thing to do in college basketball to try to win a one-bid league, and I thought our guys acquitted themselves really well tonight.”
Vermont would finish their night shooting over 56% from the field and 45% from deep with nine three-pointers as a team.
TJ Hurley, the America East player of the year, led the charge for Vermont, scoring a game-high 29 points on an efficient 9-12 from the field and 5-7 from beyond the arc. Hurley says this outing came with a bit of extra motivation, knowing his next loss could be the last time he plays a college basketball game in the final stretch of his senior season.
“It’s win or go home. For me specifically, it’s win, or it’s the end of my career,” Hurley said. “There’s some pressure behind that, but that’s what we want at this time of the year. We want to have the pressure situations.”
Hurley was backed by great first-half performances from Gus Yalden and Sean Blake. They both finished the first 20 minutes of play with 10 points apiece, leading them to both finish with 12 points. Noah Barnett also contributed well, scoring eight points and snagging seven rebounds, while Momo Nkugwa scored eight points off the bench, including an electrifying posterizing dunk in the first half.
Vermont will host one of the America East semifinal games on Tuesday, March 10, at Patrick Gym. They will play the No. 3 seed NJIT at 7 p.m. inside Patrick Gymnasium.
