Vermont, Hartford Post Hercules Tires #AEPlayoffs Semifinal Wins
For the fifth time in the last six years, the #AEHoops men’s basketball championship will be decided by the #1 and #3 seeds as top-seeded Vermont and third-seeded Hartford both posted semifinal wins on Tuesday evening. It will be the two schools’ first-ever championship game meeting.
The Catamounts used a 13-2 second-half run to upend #4 UMBC, 81-74, while the Hawks built a 14-points first-half lead and held off #2 Stony Brook, 64-58.
Vermont and Hartford will meet in the championship game on Saturday, March 14 at Vermont’s Patrick Gym, the site of the title game for the ninth 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 81, #4 UMBC 74
- With the game tied at 57, Vermont (26-7) went on a 13-2 run to pull away from #4 UMBC in the semifinals.
- The Catamounts advanced to championship game for the fifth-straight year and 11th overall.
- UVM is the the first #AEHoops team to reach five-straight title games since Drexel made six in a row from 1992-97.
- Vermont shot 60 percent from the field in the second half
- Everett Duncan scored a career-high 26 points to lead Vermont. Stef Smith added 20 and America East Player of the Year Anthony Lamb had 19.
- R.J. Eytle-Rock paced UMBC (16-17) with a career-high 31 points.
#3 Hartford 64, at #2 Stony Brook 58
- #3 Hartford (18-15) built a 14-point first-half lead and held off a second-half charge from #2 Stony Brook in the semifinals.
- The Hawks are in the championship game for the first time since 2008 and just the second time in program history.
- Down one late, Hunter Marks hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:32 to play and the Hawks never trailed again.
- Hartford scored 20 points off 17 Stony Brook turnovers.
- Marks led the Hawks with 17 points and hit 5-of-6 three pointers while Traci Carter had 12 points and seven assists.
- Elijah Olaniyi had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead Stony Brook (20-13).
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