'Found a way to win again': Vermont men's basketball holds off UMBC's comeback bid

After building sizable leads in both halves, the University of Vermont men's basketball team was forced to respond multiple times to Maryland-Baltimore County's comeback bid.

And the Catamounts had no problem flipping the switch each time.

From Ileri Ayo-Faleye's slam dunk and 3-pointers to Aaron Deloney's dishes to Sam Alamutu, Vermont made the plays down the stretch to fend off UMBC for a 77-72 America East Conference victory Thursday in front of 2,052 at Patrick Gym.

Televised nationally on ESPNU, four Catamount players reached double figures while Deloney posted eight points and six assists and Alamutu totaled eight points and seven rebounds off the bench to power the hosts to their 24th straight home triumph over a league opponent.

TJ Hurley led the Catamounts (12-5, 2-0) with 14 points, with Matt Veretto (13 points), Ayo-Faleye (12) and TJ Long (11) also contributing to a balanced offense that sank 12 three-pointers and shot 46.2% from the floor overall.

"Good win (Thursday) against a UMBC team that's hard to play because of their style, they play really fast and loose, and we did a good job for the most part," UVM coach John Becker said. "We found a way to win again."

Deloney: "They made really tough shots. I’m glad we came out with the (win)."

More: How a turnover sealed Vermont men's basketball team's win over Maine in league opener

The Catamounts started fast and churned out a 45-32 halftime lead on 51.5% field-goal shooting. That advantage increased to as many as 17 points early in the second stanza before the Retrievers, who entered Thursday averaging 78.3 points a game, chipped away at their large deficit behind the sharpshooting of Marcus Banks, Jr.

At the 10-minute mark, Banks' step-back triple brought UMBC to within 58-53. Vermont answered when Alamutu found Hurley on a backdoor cut for two.

After Dion Brown dropped one off the glass to cut the deficit back to five, Ayo-Faleye rose for a baseline jam, and then poured in back-to-back treys off Veretto passes to push the Catamount advantage back to double digits, 68-55, with 5:33 to go.

"When he’s knocking threes down like that, it just opens the court up for our offense and it looks really good when he’s out there," Deloney said of Ayo-Faleye.

Still, UMBC hung around. Banks and Ashton Reese 3-pointers trimmed UVM's lead to 68-61 with just under four minutes to go. Deloney, playing facilitator, offered up a pair of sweet bounce passes for Alamutu to finish at the rim.

"I know I can affect the game on that end by making plays to other people. I tell all my guys cut when I drive because I’m always looking for them every single time — especially when the shots not falling," Deloney said. "I try to get into the paint and create for others."

In the final minute, a Long 3-pointer in the corner and Deloney's layup to beat the press from an over-the-top outlet shut down UMBC's last gasp. With Shamir Bogues ruled out before the contest, nine players saw at least 10 minutes of court time Thursday.

"This group hasn’t figured out a way to push a lead out. The good news is we are finding ways to win," Becker said. "Hopefully we can start to have a little bit more consistency game to game on how guys perform."

Vermont has a quick turnaround with a Saturday afternoon tilt at home vs. NJIT. Banks finished with six 3s and 20 points and Brown dropped 15 points to lead UMBC (5-12, 0-2).

Vermont women 70, UMBC 55

V: Emma Utterback 19 points, 4, rebounds, 7 assists. Anna Olson 19 points, 9 rebounds. Keira Hanson 19 points.

UMBC: Anna Blount 14 points. Laura Lacambra 14 points. Jaden Walker 11 points.

Note: Trailing 32-24 at the break, visiting Vermont (10-7, 2-1) rallied with a 17-9 third quarter and then pulled away with a 29-14 edge in the final frame. Hanson sank 5 of 8 3-pointers for her third straight game in double figures. UMBC falls to 6-9, 2-1.

Vermont coach Alisa Kresge on win (via news release): "I think (Keira) is really finding her rhythm in our system. The biggest thing for me, is we always knew she had the offense, but really bringing the defensive intensity is huge. She is turning into a really good two-way player and that's a big thing in our program. Emma is our motor, she does everything, defensively is playing some of the most talented guards and really getting our team under control offensively. I think our players played with more poise (in the second half) and got the ball to the right person and when perimeter shots are falling it opens up the inside."

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont men's, women's basketball topple UMBC in America East action