UMBC

Baltimore, Md. –Freshman wing Joe Trapani scored 25 points and the University of Vermont shot a season high 60.4% from the floor in a 83-63 victory over UMBC on Thursday evening.

Trapani matched his season and career high with three 3-pointers, leading the Catamounts (11-5, 3-0 America East) to their sixth straight victory.  Vermont shot a season high 64.3% from behind the arc and Mike Trimboli recorded the first double-double for the Catamounts since Dec. 5, 2003, scoring 16 points and adding 11 assists.

UMBC sophomore wing Thomas Young scored a season and career high 23 points for the Retrievers (6-11, 2-2), which has lost its fourth straight at home.  Chris Seaborn also scored a season and career-tying 8 points, while Brian Hodges and Chris Pugh added 10 each.  Sophomore guard Jay Greene had 10 of UMBC’s 11 assists.

The 83 points allowed was the first time the Retrievers have allowed 80+ points since a 95-82 win against Navy on Jan. 3, 2006. 

The Retrievers shot 41.4% from the floor and 7.7% (1/13) from behind the arc, with Hodges hitting the long ball in the first half. 

Vermont hit their first eight field goal attempts and built an 18-6 lead just 4:51 into the game. UMBC briefly curtailed the surge and a Young jumper with 13:44 left in the half trimmed the deficit to 19-11, but a 7-0 Catamount response gave them a lead in double figures they would maintain for the final 32 mintues.

Vermont led, 49-30 at halftime, but UMBC came out with a renewed sense of play in the second half as Young hit two shots and Chris Pugh made a pair of free throws to make the score 51-36 just 1:23 into the half, but Trapani ended all hopes of a comeback with seven straight points to built the lead to 58-36 with 17:04 to play.

The Retrievers have the weekend off and will travel to Maine for a 7:00 game vs. the Black Bears on Tuesday. The game will be televised by MASN-TV in the mid-atlantic region.