Vermont's Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley), the nation's third-leading rebounder, earns the first America East Player of the Week award of his career, while Maine's Junior Bernal (Manhattan, N.Y./Hyde School/MCI) has been named America East Rookie of the Week for the second time this season.
Holm helped guide the Catamounts to a pair of America East road wins last week to stay atop of the league standings. The 6-foot-11 senior registered 18 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a 76-63 victory over Hartford. The senior went 8-for-13 from the floor. On Sunday, Holm registered his league-leading ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. For the week, he shot 58 percent from the floor while averaging 14.5 ppg and 13.0 rpg. Holm has over twice as many double-doubles as the next closest in the conference and has pulled down the three highest single game rebounding totals in the league this season. Holm is third in the nation in rebounding (11.5 rpg) and second in offensive rebounds per game (4.6).
The redshirt-freshman filled up the stat sheet on the week as he led Maine to a pair of conference victories. Bernal averaged 14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.5 spg. He scored a career-high 19 points in Maine’s win at Stony Brook and followed that up with nine points and six rebounds at Hartford.
AMERICA EAST NOTEBOOK
Streaking Black Bears
After getting off to a surprising 0-4 start in league play, Maine has reeled over five-straight conference wins, including three-straight on the road, to move into a fourth-place tie in the league standings. The Black Bears are currently America East's hottest team and the threesome of Kevin Reed (Yarmouth, Mass./St. Thomas More Prep), Jon Sheets (Grass Valley, Calif./Yuba City CC) and Chris Bruff (Bloomfield, Conn./Northwest Catholic) have spurred the streak. All three have upped their scoring during the recent surge, with Reed leading the way by averaging an impressive 19.8 ppg and 6.8 rpg.
Cats & Dogs atop League Standings
Vermont (15-6, 7-1 America East) and Albany (14-7, 7-2) currently sit first and second, respectively, in the league standings. Having defeated the Great Danes 75-66 at Patrick Gym back on Jan. 13, the Catamounts control their own destiny as they begin the second-half of their conference slate. UVM and the Great Danes have a solid lead over third-place Boston University (7-12, 4-3). The two league power-houses meet on Sunday, February 11 at SEFCU Arena (2 p.m.) in a rematch of the 2006 title game. That contest can be seen live on Time Warner Cable in Albany.
Glass Cleaner
Vermont's Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley/Rhode Island) has been dominant on the glass all season long as the 6-11 forward ranks third in the nation in rebounding (11.5 rpg). Holm leads the conference in caroms by 4.3 rpg. In fact, Holm's 144 defensive rebounds are eight more than America East's second-leading rebounder, Omari Peterkin (7.2 rpg) of Boston University. Holm is on pace to become Vermont's single-season rebounding leader.
Close Competition
? Seven of the eight America East games on the week were decided by 10 points or less, including four that were decided by three points or less. UMBC began the week with a buzzer-beating victory over New Hampshire as Chris Pugh sank a three-pointer to give the Retrievers the win. UMBC then closed out the week with a three-point victory versus Binghamton on Sunday.
? With just under half of the 2006-07 regular-season conference slate completed, the competition around America East has been very close. Thirty-nine league games are in the books with 26 of those outings being decided by 10 points or less and 22 by five points or less. No one has been in more close conference contests than Binghamton. The Bearcats are 1-5 in league games decided by five points or less, including five in a row. Binghamton's last five outings have been decided by a total of 17 points. Boston University (2-3), Hartford (3-2) and Maine (3-2) have all played in five conference games decided by six points or less.
? On the season, America East teams have combined to play a total of 189 games with 54.5 percent (103) decided by 10 points or less and 33.3 percent (63) decided by five points or less. Hartford has played in the most close contests as the Hawks are 6-4 in games with five-point margins or less. Albany is an impressive 6-1 in games decided by five points or less and has won six straight.
Stat-Sheet Stuffer
Jamar Wilson (Bronx, N.Y./Our Savior New American School) of Albany is in the midst of one of the most impressive statistical seasons in recent memory. The 6-1 guard currently ranks first in America East in scoring (18.1 ppg), third in rebounding (6.4 rpg) and third in assists (4.9 apg). Wilson also sits 10th in free throw percentage (77.2 percent), tied for ninth in steals (1.4 spg), third in defensive rebounds (4.95 rpg) and ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.23).
Sensational Sophomore
Hartford's Jaret Von Rosenberg (Mission, Texas/Collin County/Sharyland) put together back-to-back career-high scoring outings on the week. The 6-2 guard poured in 22 points versus Vermont and followed that up with a 30-point performance against Maine, becoming the seventh player in America East to crack the 30-point plateau this season. Von Rosenberg is averaging 11.0 ppg on the campaign overall, but is scoring at a 15.1 ppg clip in conference games.
Four Sweeps
Albany, Maine, UMBC and Vermont all swept their two league games on the week. The Great Danes came away with a slim two-point win at Boston University on Wednesday and then won at New Hampshire on Sunday. The Black Bears also recorded two road wins, at Stony Brook on Thursday and a one-point win at Hartford on Saturday. The Retrievers two wins came by a total of four points as Chris Pugh's (Clinton, Md./Oxon Hill) three sunk UNH on Thursday and Mike Housman's (Great Falls, Va./Langley) free throws sealed the deal versus Binghamton on Sunday. Vermont two victories by double-digits, downing Hartford 76-63 on Wednesday and Stony Brook, 71-61, on Sunday.
Second Time Around
With the first half of the conference season in the books, league foes now make the return trips for the second half of the conference schedule. Wednesday's full slate of league games gives teams the opportunity to seek revenge on their conference foes for losses earlier this season. Most notably, Vermont welcomes New Hampshire to Patrick Gym in a game that can been seen live on CN8 (7 p.m.). Back on January 9, UVM's Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen) nailed the first three-pointer of his field goal to hand UNH a heart-breaking 62-60 loss at the buzzer.
Rivalry Saturday
Two of the biggest rivalries in America East will be renewed on Saturday, February 3 when Maine heads to Lundholm Gym to take on New Hampshire and Albany hosts Binghamton at SEFCU Arena. In a battle of New England rivals with significant implications in the standings on the line, Maine will look to increase its 107-62 lead in the all-time series over New Hampshire. In a showdown of Empire State rivals, the Great Danes look to avenge a loss to the Bearcats earlier this season at the Events Center as the the two meet as part of Big Purple Growl, Albany's winter homecoming event. Both games can be seen live on television and online as part of America East Basketball Presented by Boston Herald.
Exposed
Five of the nine games around America East this week will be televised. Wednesday features three TV games, while Saturday boasts two, both of which are part of the league's America East Basketball Presented by Boston Herald package. Below is list of this week's televised contests.
This Week's Televised Games
J 31 *New Hampshire at Vermont, 7 p.m. (CN8)
J 31 *UMBC at Albany, 7 p.m. (TW3)
J 31 Hartford at Boston College, 7 p.m. (NESN)
F 3* Maine at UNH, 3 p.m. (AETV: NESN)
F 3* Bing. at Albany, 8 p.m. (AETV: TW3/WIVT)
AE Remains 20th In RPI Report
The Collegiate Basketball News RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) Report was released on Monday (Jan. 29) and America East held its spot as the 20th-ranked league in the nation. Vermont moved up 13 spots to 102, while Albany rose 10 places to 103. The two flip-flopped for the second-consecutive week as the league's top-ranked team.
? As a conference, the league ranks 20th in the country, which is seven spots higher than last season's final RPI of 27, and 10th among other mid-major leagues. Most notably, America East ranks ahead of the MAAC (25th overall/15th among mid-majors) and the Ohio Valley (27th/17th).
? Six of nine America East members boast higher RPIs than they finished with a season ago.
? Four America East members have made significant jumps in the RPI compared to the 2005-06 campaign. See the list below that compares last year's final RPI with this year's current RPI and the number of spots each school has moved up.
School 2005-06 2006-07 Increase
Vermont 212 102 +110
UMBC 297 196 +101
Stony Brook 310 256 +54
Hartford 268 236 +32
AE-TV Schedule Continues
America East Basketball Presented by Boston Herald continues this week with a doubleheader on Saturday, February 3. New Hampshire hosts Maine (3 p.m.) on NESN, followed by Binghamton at Albany (8 p.m.) on Time Warner Cable in Albany and WIVT in Binghamton. Streaming video for both games will be available through America East Zone on the conference's website www.AmericaEast.com.
Non-Conference Slate Nears End
Six of the league's nine teams have already completed the regular-season non-conference portion of their 2006-07 schedules. Vermont (8-5), Binghamton (7-5), Stony Brook (5-7), UMBC (4-9), New Hampshire (4-9) and Boston University (3-9) have all wrapped up their non-league slates, while Albany (7-5), Hartford (6-6) and Maine (5-7) all have one regular-season non-conference tilt remaining. Below is a list of the non-league games that remain.
Regular-Season Non-Conference Games
J 31 Hartford at Boston College, 7 p.m. (NESN)
F 17 Albany at ESPN BracketBusters, TBA
F 17 Maine at ESPN BracketBusters, TBA
Conference Climb
With just three regular-season non-conference games remaining, America East squads have sailed past last year's non-conference win total. America East teams are currently 49-61 (.445) in 2006-07, compared to just 33-69 (.324) a season ago. The conference is on pace to register 50 regular-season non-conference victories this campaign, which would be the most since the league recorded 52 in 1994-95 when there were also nine teams in the league.
Above .500
Four league teams are currently .500 or better in non-conference play on the 2006-07 season. Last season, only Albany (8-8) posted a non-conference mark of .500 or better.
Road Warriors
The biggest component to America East's non-conference success this season has been the ability of league teams to win on the road. Conference teams have combined to win 29 non-conference road games in 2006-07, compared to just nine a season ago. The most notable road victory to date was Vermont's victory at #14 Boston College, but the overall road successes of the league could loom large when the league's automatic qualifier is seeded for the NCAA Tournament and for other postseason candidates as well.
Championship Returns to Boston
The America East Men’s Basketball Championship returns to Boston in 2007 as Boston University hosts the nine-team tournament on March 2-4 at Agganis Arena. The first round game will take place on Friday, March 2, followed by the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 3 and the semifinals on Sunday, March 4.
Tournament ticket packages are $30 for youth/students and $60 for adults. To purchase tickets call 617-353-GoBU or online at www.AmericaEast.com. To request media credentials for the conference’s premier event, email K.J. Cardinal (cardinal@americaeast.com).
Championship Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets for the 2007 America East Men's Basketball Championship on March 2-4 at Boston University's Agganis Arena are on sale now. To purchase tickets visit www.AmericaEast.com.
Lights, Camera, Action
America East announced its most comprehensive television schedule in history with more than 50 men’s and women’s basketball games slated for broadcast in 2006-07 (see following page for complete schedule). Included in the package is the America East Men’s Basketball Championship, which will air live on ESPN2 on March 10 at 12 noon. It marks the 19th-consecutive year that the championship game will appear on ESPN/ESPN2.
America East and ESPN Regional Television will team up to produce and distribute games throughout the America East geographic footprint, which includes several of the nation’s top 25 media markets including New York (No. 1), Boston (No. 5), Washington, D.C. (No. 8), Baltimore and Hartford. In addition, no fewer than 12 games will be included in the ESPN Full Court package, the subscription service provided by ESPN. The games will also be available on-line via video streaming at AmericaEast.com.
TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTEBOOKS
Albany Great Danes
Albany (14-7, 7-2 America East) kept pace with league-leading Vermont by winning twice on the road in conference play last week... The Great Danes shot a season-best 54.8 percent from the field in a 71-64 decision at New Hampshire... The Wildcats nearly rallied from a 13-point deficit in the second half, but Jamar Wilson (Bronx, N.Y./Our Savior New American) made a spinning turnaround in the lane with 33.7 seconds remaining to thwart the comeback... Wilson finished with 23 points, the 42nd time in his career that he has had 20-plus in a game... The Great Danes posted their 40th win in America East regular-season play since joining the conference in 2001-02... Brian Lillis (Urbandale, Iowa/West Des Moines Dowling) made the go-ahead basket on a fastbreak layup with 2:04 to play in a 52-50 come-from-behind triumph at Boston University on Jan. 24... The Great Danes, who are 6-1 in games decided by five points or less this season, held Boston U. scoreless for the final five minutes and committed a season-low eight turnovers... Albany has won four straight and six of its last seven... The Great Danes have trailed in the second half in seven of their 14 victories this season... Jon Iati (York, Pa./York Catholic) scored 13 points, his 40th career game in double figures, and made three 3-pointers at New Hampshire... Iati, a 5-9 junior, is averaging 13.8 points in his last four outings off the bench... Lillis recorded his seventh game in twin figures this season with 10 points at New Hampshire... The 6-5 junior moved to 17th on the school’s career steals list with 107... UAlbany has been defensive-mined in its 14 wins to date, as the opponents are averaging 61.5 ppg and shooting 40.5 percent from the floor in those contests... UAlbany’s coaches and players will gather at a local restaurant on Monday to watch the 2007 BracketBusters announcement on ESPNU at 6 p.m... The Great Danes met Virginia Commonwealth in last year’s event.
Binghamton Bearcats
Binghamton (9-12, 2-7 America East) lost its only game of the week - a three-point heartbreaker at UMBC... In that game, Binghamton had the ball with 2.3 seconds left in a tie game but turned it over under its own basket and the Retrievers sank three deciding free throws in the final two seconds to sweep the season series... The team has been plagued by close defeats in conference play, with five of its seven losses coming by five or fewer points, including the last three games... Junior point guard Mike Gordon (Plainfield, N.J./Plainfield) continued his scoring production with a game-high 17 points... Gordon played 39 minutes and hit 3-of-4 from beyond the arc... In his last four games, Gordon is averaging 13.8 ppg and 3.5 spg... Freshman forward Lazar Trifunovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Secondary Railway Tech) added 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting... He has reached double figures 10 times in his inaugural collegiate season.
Boston University Terriers
Boston University (7-12, 4-3 America East) dropped a 52-50 decision to Albany on Wednesday evening at Case Gym... Boston U. had three in double figures, led by redshirt freshman guard Tyler Morris (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) who had a game-high 21 points, four shy of his career high... Freshman guard Carlos Strong (Portland, Maine/Deering) added 11 points and four rebounds and senior co-captain Omari Peterkin (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands/Notre Dame) tallied his second-straight double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds... The Terriers held their eighth opponent to its season-low in points... Prior to Albany tallying 52 points on Wednesday, its previous low had been 55 points against Bucknell and Connecticut... Peterkin has stepped up as of late, as he nearly averages a double-double in conference play (9.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg)... He has posted double-doubles in each of the last two games... After trailing 26-21 at the half, Boston U. fought back early in the second stanza on the strength of Morris' shooting... The freshman guard scored 10-straight points to give the Terriers a 31-30 lead just 3:30 in... Boston U. extended its lead to eight, 46-38, on a jumper in the paint by Morris at 9:43, but struggled offensively after that... After Peterkin's lay-up in the lane put Boston U. ahead 48-42 with 6:07 to go, the Terriers did not hit another field goal in the game... With the Great Danes clinging to a slim two-point edge with four seconds remaining, Boston U.'s last-second three-point attempt by senior guard Brian Macon (Boynton Beach, Fla./Miami Dade) went wide of the mark... The Terriers return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 31 when they travel to Orono, Maine to face Maine Black Bears at 7:30 p.m.
Hartford Hawks
Hartford (9-12, 3-6 America East) dropped games against Vermont and Maine last week... The Hawks trailed the conference-leading Catamounts by as many as 24 points in the second half before making it a game... Hartford used a 15-1 run to narrow the margin, scoring an amazing 11 points in 25 seconds during one stretch... The Hawks would get as close as five points before the Catamounts got back on track and went on to win by a 76-63 final... Sophomore Jaret Von Rosenberg (Mission, Texas/Sharyland/Collin County) led the Hawks with 22 points while freshman Joe Zeglinski (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) pitched in with 17... Hartford almost made another remarkable comeback against the Black Bears... The Hawks trailed by as many as 15 in the contest before rallying in the second half to take their first lead on a Bo Taylor (Reston, Va./Paul VI Catholic/Bishop O'Connell/South Lakes) basket with 8:57 to play... Hartford also took a one-point lead with 4:23 to go on a Von Rosenberg three-pointer, though the Black Bears came right back to snatch away the lead... Trailing by one with 15 seconds remaining, the Hawks got three looks at a game-winner but couldn't get anything to fall... Four Hartford players logged 38 minutes or more in the 65-64 loss... Von Rosenberg averaged 26.0 ppg for the week... The last Hartford player to score 30 or more points in a game was Aaron Cook (40 points) last year at Maine... Taylor leads the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) while Zeglinski (13.2 ppg) and Von Rosenberg (11.0 ppg) also average in double figures... Sophomore Michael Turner (Novato, Calif./Marin Catholic/West Valley) leads the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg)... The Hawks will take a break from conference play on Wednesday, January 31 when they play at Boston College at 7 p.m... A win over the Eagles would give Hartford a winning non-conference record and the most non-conference victories since the 1990-91 season (7)... The Hawks will stay in Boston for their second game of the week against Boston University on Saturday, February 3 at 1 p.m.
Maine Black Bears
Maine (10-11, 5-4 America East) had a pair of wins on the week to extend its winning streak to five games... It is the longest winning streak for the Black Bears since posting a five-game winning streak Jan. 31-Feb. 14, 2004... Kevin Reed (Yarmouth, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth/St. Thomas More) continues to play outstanding for Maine... He averaged 22.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg on the week... He moved into third place on Maine's all-time steals last week with 206 career steals... He also moved into 10th place on Maine's all-time rebounding list with 679 in his career... Jon Sheets (Grass Valley, Calif./Nevada Union/Yuba City CC) and Reed rank first and second, respectively, in America East in three-point field goals... Sheets has 59 on the season while Reed has 56... Junior Bernal (Manhattan, N.Y./Hyde School/MCI) scored a career-high 19 points in Maine's win over Stony Brook...Bernal leads Maine in both assists and steals on the season... Maine is 10-5 this season when holding opponents under 70 points and 0-6 when opponents score 70 points or more... The Black Bears had 11 steals on Thursday at Stony Brook, led by Reed who had five... Reed has 291 career three-point field goals, tying John Gordon
(Maine/Drexel-1995-00) for fourth place on the America East three-point field goals list... Reed has scored in double figures in eight of nine America East Conference games this season... Maine is 6-6 on the road this season... A year ago, the Black Bears were just 3-11 on the road... Maine returns home on Wednesday night to host Boston University, before traveling to New Hampshire on Saturday, Feb. 3.
UMBC Retrievers
For UMBC (9-13, 5-4 America East), there was a double-feature of spine-tinglers at the RAC Arena on Thursday and Sunday, which could be termed "Senior Week"... Retrievers seniors Chris Pugh (Clinton, Md./Oxon Hill) and Mike Housman (Great Falls, Va./Langley) each played starring roles as UMBC posted wins over UNH (45-44) and Binghamton (51-48)... On Thursday, Pugh hit a three-point field goal from the left wing with 2.2 seconds remaining to give the Retrievers the victory over the Wildcats... On Sunday, Housman produced the game-winning play in Sunday’s 51-48 win over Binghamton... With the game tied at 48-all, he stole a Bearcat inbounds pass and was fouled on his drive to the basket with 2.3 seconds remaining... He sank both free throws as the Retrievers secured the series sweep over Binghamton... Housman led UMBC with a season-high 17 points... He was the lone Retriever in double figures in Thursday’s 45-44 win over UNH, as he hit six of eight shots from the floor and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots... After going nine-straight games in single figures, Housman has led UMBC in scoring in each of the last three games, averaging 15.0 ppg in that span and accounting for over 30 percent of the UMBC offense in a 2-1 span... The 5-4 conference mark is the best after nine games in the four-year history of UMBC in the America East Conference and ties UMBC’s mark for overall America East wins (five each in 2002-03, 2004-05 and 2005-06)... The Retrievers have now won five times (5-11) when trailing or tied at halftime this season... The win over UNH was UMBC’s first over the Wildcats in four tries at the RAC Arena... The 45 points scored by UMBC was the fewest scored in a Retriever win in a 40-minute Division I contest... They defeated Morgan State, 45-25 on Jan. 19, 1987 in a game that was forfeited to UMBC with 18:09 remaining... The NCAA Division II Retrievers defeated Monmouth, 45-44 in the 1979-80 season... UMBC permitted UNH just 25.0 percent shooting from the floor, a new school record for the Retrievers... The Retrievers and Bearcats have each won four in the all-time series... Binghamton won the first meeting at the RAC Arena by three points and UMBC has won the last three by two points, four points and three points respectively... The two teams each shot over 50 percent in UMBC’s 73-71 win in Vestal, N.Y. on Jan. 3. ... UMBC faces defending champion Albany in Albany, N.Y. on Wednesday before returning home to entertain Stony Brook on Saturday.
New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire (8-14, 4-5 America East) registered an 0-2 week... UNH lost by a combined eight points in the two defeats... The Wildcats fell to UMBC on Thursday, 45-44, in another heartbreaking loss... Sophomore guard Tyrece Gibbs (Brockton, Mass./Thayer Academy) and senior forward Blagoj Janev (Sydney, Australia/Australia Institute of Sport) combined for 28 points and freshman forward Radar Onguetou (Yaound?, Cameroon/New Hampton) posted his first career double-double (12 rebounds, 11 points) in the loss... UNH held UMBC scoreless for 12:39 in the first half, but a second half of offensive struggles halted their season-high three-game winning streak... UNH hosted defending America East champion UAlbany on Sunday and rallied in the second half for 42 points, but the Wildcats fell to the Great Danes for a second time this season, 71-64... Gibbs led the way for the ?Cats as the guard notched three-consecutive three-pointers in the final minutes of play and scored a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds... Senior Jermaine Anderson (Beverly, Mass./Phillips Exeter) tallied 12 points, while Janev posted 18 points and five assists in the loss... UNH looks to avenge a 62-60 buzzer-beating loss to Vermont back on January 9 as the Wildcats travel to Burlington for a clash on Wednesday before hosting the upstart Maine Black Bears on Saturday at Lundholm Gymnasium.
Stony Brook Seawolves
Stony Brook (7-13, 2-7 America East) went 0-2 on the week... In the first game of the week, the Seawolves dropped a 74-66 decision to Maine at home... SB led by as many as 14 in the first half but couldn't overcome the Black Bears 65 percent shooting in the second half... Ricky Lucas (Herndon, Va./Herndon/George Washington) led all scorers as he pumped in 22 points, going 5-of-9 from downtown while Emanuel Neto (Luanda, Angola/San Jacinto) recorded the second-best rebounding performance in the Seawolves' Division I era as he grabbed 16 boards to go along with 13 points... The Seawolves dominated the glass, holding a 46-28 advantage as they nearly had as many offensive rebounds as the Black Bears had total boards, with SB grabbing 27... on Sunday afternoon, the Seawolves fell 71-61 at home to the Vermont Catamounts... Lucas once again led all scorers with 18 points and was the lone Seawolf in double figures... Freshmen Kyle Wright (Hartford, Conn./Brewster Academy) added nine points while classmate Marcus Robinson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Allderdice) chipped in with eight... The Seawolves hit the road for a pair of contests away from Long Island with games at Binghamton and UMBC in the upcoming week.
Vermont Catamounts
Vermont (15-6, 7-1 America East) wrapped up a three-game road swing this week with a pair of victories... The Catamounts have won 12 of their last 14 overall and eight straight on the road... Sophomore Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn./St. Luke’s) netted 20 and senior Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley) tallied 18 points and pulled down 14 boards as Vermont downed Hartford 76-63 on Thursday... Holm went 8-for-13 from the floor, with two blocks and two steals, while Trimboli nailed a team season-high five three’s in the victory... On Sunday Trimboli and junior Kyle Cieplicki (Shelburne, Vt./Rice) combined for 33 points as the Catamounts held on to defeat Stony Brook 71-61... Of Vermont’s 15 wins, 11 have been by at least nine points... Vermont is 5-0 away from Patrick Gym in conference play... Vermont the most road/neutral wins in the country as the Cats are now 11-3 away from home this season... Vermont has out-rebounded 19 of its 21 opponents this season and is currently eighth in the nation in rebounding margin ... UVM is 10-3 when three or more reach double figures ... Sophomore Ryan Shields (Wilton, Conn./St. Luke’s) scored his first career point on a free throw with four seconds to go in the game... Five of Vermont’s last eight regular season games will be at home... The Catamounts have only one game this week as they host New Hampshire on Wednesday at 7:00pm.