Vermont went on a 20-1 second half run on Thursday night, turning a 12 point deficit into a seven point lead and would go on to defeat Maine 67-62 in America East men’s basketball action at Patrick Gymnasium in Burlington, Vermont.
It was a close battle in the first half, but a late layup by Ben Johnson had the Catamounts clinging to a 32-30 advantage at the break. TJ Biel kept the Black Bears in it, as he continued his solid start to the conference season with eight points in the opening 20 minutes. Maine opened the second half on a 19-5 run, capped off by a dunk by Keelan Steele off a nice assist from Logan Carey to give them a 49-37 lead with 13:06 left to play. Vermont took over the game from there, as they went on their 20-1 run over the next 7:15 to jump back on top for good. The guests went 0-7 from the floor during that spurt only managing one made free throw from Carey, while the Catamounts made three 3-pointers to gain control of the contest and earning some payback after they had their season ended by the Bears in the America East semifinals last season.
TJ Hurley led Vermont in the victory with 18 points. Sean Blake added 17 points and six assists, while Johnson finished with 14 points. The Catamounts improve to 11-7 and 3-0 in America East. Keelan Steele had team-high 17 points for Maine, while also grabbing five rebounds. Biel ended up with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Caleb Crawford and Carey contributed eight points a piece, with Carey also dishing out seven assists and coming up with three steals. Yanis Bamba chipped in seven points, as the Black Bears dropped to 3-16 and 1-3 in conference play. Maine will host UNH on Monday at 2 p.m. on Skip Chappelle Court at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono.
Photo of Keelan Steele from a game earlier this season is courtesy of UMaine Athletics
