BURLINGTON, Vt. — Southern Vermont College fell 86-41 Wednesday night at Division I University of Vermont in non-conference men's basketball action at Patrick Gymnasium.
Both teams are now 2-1 on the year as the Mountaineers collect their first loss of the season. This marked the first meeting between the two institutions and the first matchup for SVC against a DI opponent since the men's basketball team played Princeton University in January 2004.
Southern Vermont junior DeShawn Hamlet (Hartford, Connecticut) led all players with 13 points, adding a team-best six rebounds and five steals in the effort. Sophomore Nate Goldsmith (Seat Pleasant, Maryland) followed with seven points while junior Jeff James (Bowie, Maryland) chipped in with six points and five rebounds.
Six Catamounts reached double digits in the point column including freshman Drew Urquhart (Vancouver, British Columbia) who notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Vermont senior Hector Harold (Pasadena, California) tallied 12 points and five boards, and freshman Cam Ward (Marshall, Wisconsin) got in on the action with 12 points and four assists.
SVC had trouble getting its shots to go early in the first while Vermont took advantage of its open chances on both the inside and beyond the perimeter. Ward drained an open three from the right side, giving the Catamounts a 7-1 lead before the Mountaineers used their first timeout to collect their composure.
Southern Vermont's feet were quicker than its hands, being called for two traveling violations in the first four minutes. With an average starting height of 6'5, the Catamounts forced SVC to run most of its offense outside of the key. That didn't stop Hamlet from knocking down a jumper from the top of the paint for the visitors' first field goal; two SVC possessions later, he took the ball down low and put it off the glass to give his offense some momentum. On Southern Vermont's next trip down the floor, Hamlet fed junior Casey Hall (Albany, New York) near the free throw line for a basket that cut the deficit to 15-7.
Underneath the 10-minute mark, the Mountaineers' defense started to get into rhythm with steals and a pair of blocked shots by Hall and senior captain Dolapo Olugbile (Laurel, Maryland). Still, UVM was able to get the loose balls and the benefit of deflections out of bounds to regain possessions; the Catamounts utilized those to go on a 10-2 run, pulling ahead 25-9 over the next three minutes.
Aggressive play by SVC put the Mountaineers in foul trouble long before the Catamounts, giving UVM the bonus by the 6:35 mark whilst the hosts were only called for two in the same time frame. Vermont's transition game produced points with the Catamounts turning takeaways and defensive rebounds into fast scores to go ahead 33-13 in the closing minutes of the half.
Southern Vermont had one of its best offensive possessions of the opening period late as the Mountaineers worked around quality passes until Hall took the ball in the low post and rolled it in for the easy bucket. The other end of the floor saw SVC sophomore Brandon Casella (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) swipe the ball, and the Mountaineers turned it into two points with James getting the layup to go while being fouled. He was unable to convert the free throw, however, as the score stood at 34-17. Hamlet put in another layup with 1:30 to play, but Ward drilled a three as time expired following a 30-second Vermont timeout to take a 37-19 lead into the locker room.
UVM shot 51.9 percent (14-27) from the floor in the opening half while holding Southern Vermont to a 9-24 clip (37.5 percent). The Catamounts knocked down three from three-point range as SVC was shutout from beyond the arc. Ward and Harold led all players in the first with seven points apiece, and James recorded the most rebounds in the stanza with four coming off the defensive glass.
The second half opened up favorably for SVC with the Catamounts being called for two fouls in the first 22 seconds of the stanza. That didn't stop them from extending their lead as Ward spotted up on the left side and knocked down his third trey of the night in as many attempts. Less than a minute later, Ward drove the baseline and laid in his first two-point basket of the contest to give UVM a 44-20 advantage. Southern Vermont got a spark when junior guard William Bromirski (Cambridge, New York) pulled up and swished a shot from deep, taking it from about four feet behind the three-point line. But the Catamounts went right back down the floor and fed junior Ethan O'Day (Mansfield, Connecticut) for his second slam in a minute and the 48-23 edge.
A pair of three-pointers from UVM, both assisted by Ward, helped the Catamounts score 12 unanswered before Hamlet hit his fourth basket of the game to end the run. Vermont continued to be efficient from deep, however, as the hosts hit four shots from behind the perimeter in the opening 8:05 of the period to open up a 63-29 lead.
UVM's strong edge on the boards helped keep the ball in the Catamounts' hands for a majority of the game's remainder, and their electric shooting persisted to prevent SVC from staging a comeback. Vermont finished with a 48-23 rebound advantage and a 59.6 percent shooting from the floor on the night. The two teams traded buckets the rest of the way as UVM finished off the win in its home opener.
Each side committed 12 turnovers with Vermont taking a 19-12 advantage on points off takeaways.
The Mountaineers are back on the road this weekend as they travel to Marymount University in Virginia to take on the Saints Saturday at 4 p.m. UVM is also away from home Saturday, going to St. Joseph's University for a 7 p.m. non-conference tip.