Vermont, UMBC to Play for #AEHoops Title for Second-Straight Year
For the second-straight year, the #AEHoops men’s basketball championship will be decided in Patrick Gym between Vermont and UMBC after the two teams posted semifinal wins on Tuesday evening. It will be the first title game in 18 seasons to feature the same teams and same venue as the year prior.
Top-seeded Vermont ended seventh-seeded Binghamton’s run with an 84-51 win in Burlington while third-seeded UMBC survived a challenge from fourth-seeded Hartford and downed the Hawks 90-85 in double overtime, in Baltimore.
Vermont and UMBC will meet in the championship game on Saturday, March 16 at Vermont’s Patrick Gym, the site of the title game for the eighth time. Tip time is 11 a.m. and the game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Read more about the semifinals below. For full playoff coverage, including box scores, highlights and more, visit #AEPlayoffs Central.
Recaps
at #1 Vermont 84, #7 Binghamton 51
- #1 Vermont (26-6) used a 26-2 first-half run to build an insurmountable lead on #7 Binghamton and cruised to an 84-51 win in the #AEPlayoffs semifinals.
- The Catamounts advanced to championship game for the fourth-straight year and 13th overall.
- Vermont is the 6th #AEHoops team to reach a fourth-straight championship tilt and the first since the Catamounts themselves accomplished the feat in 2006.
- After jumping out to a 10-point lead, Binghamton cut the advantage to 22-17 with 9:27 left in the first half before the Catamounts went on its 26-2 spurt.
- Vermont shot 58 percent from the field and hit 14 three pointers, an #AEPlayoffs semfinals record.
- Stef Smith scored 23 of his game and career-high 28 points in the first half to set the tone.
- Smith’s eight three pointers set a new #AEPlayoffs semifinal record and are tied for the second most in a tournament game all time.
- America East Player of the Year Anthony Lamb added 18 points and seven assists.
- Caleb Stewart paced Binghamton (10-23) with 16 points.
at #3 UMBC 90, #4 Hartford 85 (2OT)
- #3 UMBC (21-12) built a 26-point second-half lead before Hartford stormed back to force overtime, but the Retrievers prevailed in double overtime for a 90-85 win over the #4 Hawks in the #AEPlayoffs semifinals.
- The Retrievers are in the championship game for the second-straight year and fourth time in program history.
- It was the first double overtime playoff game since Vermont beat Hartford in the 2012 semifinals.
- UMBC scored 21 of the game’s first 27 points and led by as many as 20 in the first half.
- After UMBC led 50-24 with 15:09 to go, Hartford closed the half on a 44-18 run to force overtime.
- Brandon Horvath’s free throws with 51 seconds left put UMBC ahead 87-85 as they scored the game’s final five points to end it.
- K.J. Jackson led UMBC with 21 points and eight rebounds. Joe Sherburne added 12 points and 12 boards.
- Travis Weatherington’s 22 points led Hartford’s (18-15) scoring as all five starters scored in twin figures.
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