BOSTON – It’ll be a rematch from last season in the 2024 Jersey Mike’s #AEPlayoffs title game as top-seeded Vermont and second-seeded UMass Lowell battled to semifinal victories at home on Tuesday night.
Vermont finished off #4 New Hampshire, 66-59, while UMass Lowell outlasted #3 Bryant 77-70 to set up the rematch.
The Catamounts jumped out early and led by 17 points with 13 minutes left, but the Wildcats wouldn’t go away and clawed their way back to trail by just four points with one minute left. Vermont held them off to secure their eighth trip to the championship game in the last nine seasons.
The River Hawks used a 19-7 run midway through the second half to turn a five-point deficit into a seven-point lead and held off a late charge from the Bulldogs. The win sends UML to its third championship game in the last five years.
Vermont and UMass Lowell will face off in the championship for the season straight season with an NCAA bid on the line this Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+. There will also be a national radio broadcast on Westwood One.
#1 Vermont 66, #4 New Hampshire 59
- UNH scored the first basket, but UVM responded with 13 straight points to stretch the lead to 10 points just 12:43 into the contest. The Catamounts extended the lead to 14 points midway through the period.
- The Wildcats went on a 13-5 run of their own trim the deficit to just 24-18 with 5:53 remaining in the half. Vermont extended the lead back to 11, but four straight from UNH left them down just 31-24 at the half.
- Vermont scored the first nine points of the second half for a 40-24 advantage and led 47-30 on an Aaron Deloney layup with 13:22 remaining. UNH answered with 11 straight points to trim it to just 48-41 with nine minute left.
- The Catamounts were up 60-49 with 2:07 remaining before an 8-1 run by the Wildcats made it a 61-57 contest with 1:00 minute left. Vermont answered with a layup and made just enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
- Ileri Ayo-Faleye led the hosts with 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks as one of three players in double figures. Nick Fiorillo added 13 points, five rebounds and four assists.
- Jaxson Baker went off for 21 points and 11 boards while Ahmad Robinson had 16 points, eight assist and four rebounds.
#2 UMass Lowell 77, #3 Bryant 70
- Bryant jumped out to an early 12-7 lead on Sherif Gross-Bullock’s three-pointer six minutes into the contest.
- UMass Lowell used a 7-0 run to take its first lead at 21-20.
- Bryant closed the first half on a 7-0 run of its own as Gross-Bullock scored five of his 17 first-half points in the spurt and the Bulldogs took a 37-34 advantage at the break.
- The Bulldogs pushed their lead to five at 44-39, but UMass Lowell responded by scoring 19 of the game’s next 26 points to grab a 58-51 lead. Yuri Covington had 10 of the River Hawks' points in that span.
- Ayinde Hikim’s three-pointer with 3:50 left gave the home team a 66-59 lead and it held on from there.
- Covington led UMass Lowell with 17 points. Cam Morris III had a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds and Hikim added 14.
- Rafael Pinzon led the Bulldogs with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Gross-Bullock added 19 points, four rebounds and three assists.
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