UMBC scores big victory over Vermont, 74-61
The UMBC men’s basketball team used a big second-half to win in surprisingly easy fashion, 74-61, over the Vermont Catamounts (15-5, 5-1) Wednesday evening at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington.
At the break the teams were knotted at 32, but UMBC (12-9, 4-2) came out of the locker room with defense on their mind. They proceeded to go on a 14-0 run, while holding Vermont scoreless for the first 7:45 of the half.
The Catamounts would chip away at the lead and eventually draw to within eight with 3:46 remaining, but a timeout by Retrievers coach Ryan Odom stemmed the tide, and Vermont was unable to punch through.
UMBC once again started slow, trailing 9-0 only 2:25 into the game and trailed by 10 points less than a minute later, but they would battle back and Vermont was unable to land the knockout blow.
The Retrievers were led by graduate student forward Joe Sherburne, who rebounded from his poor performance on Saturday to score 20 points against the Catamounts. Freshmen guard Jose Placer continued to shine with 14 points and six assists while junior forward Arkel Lamar poured in 13 points and hauled in seven rebounds.
Vermont was led by redshirt senior guard Ernie Duncan who scored 22 points, including hitting four from beyond the arc. Redshirt junior guard, and brother, Everett Duncan scored 16 points and secured 10 rebounds.
The win marks the Retrievers’ second consecutive win over Vermont following their 65-62 victory in the America East Tournament Championship Game, also in Burlington. It is only the sixth time UMBC has beaten Vermont all-time against 32 defeats.
The Retrievers will next travel to Durham, N.H. to take on the New Hampshire Wildcats (3-15, 1-4) on Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 pm.
