On Saturday afternoon, the UVM campus was quiet as students departed for spring break, but inside Patrick Gym, Catamount Country was buzzing with the anticipation of playoff basketball.
With the University of New Hampshire Wildcats looking to upset the defending America East conference champions on their home court, the evening was ripe with tension.
Fans inside Patrick Gym had reason to be confident, as No. 2 Vermont entered the evening with nine consecutive wins, including a decisive 20-point win over the No. 7 Wildcats on Feb. 13.
New Hampshire rattled off a 15-6 run in the first seven minutes of the game before graduate forward Nick Fiorillo hit a three to ease the deficit.
Vermont showed resilience through the first half, but the Wildcats would not relinquish the lead by the break. Down 34-26 at halftime, the home crowd remained cautiously optimistic about the Cats’ chances of sparking a comeback.
“It’s been a tough first half,” UVM alum Mark McLaughlin ‘85 said.
Mark and his wife Laurie McLaughlin, whose son Brian calls Vermont basketball on the Radio, were split on the game’s outlook.
“They’re a second-half team and they just need to get some defense together and get their shots falling,” said Laurie.
Fan Lucian Durgan from Eden, Vt. also expressed concern about injuries to Vermont’s most valuable players.
“So far, I’m missing Shamir [Bogues] big time. I wish TJ Long was back, obviously,” he said.
The Cats were without both senior guards on Saturday, with Bogues listed as day-to-day.
“I feel great about their chances. New Hampshire made a lot of tough shots, and that’s not going to go through in the second half,” Durgan said reassuredly.
Colchester, Vt. native Rick Gosselin commented on the team’s offensive approach, suggesting they should switch it up in the second half.
“I’d like to see them drive and have other guys cut instead of just hanging out at the three-point line and looking for the three,” he said. “When they score, they’re getting all their baskets at the rim.”
Returning from the break, the Cats struggled to make stops on defense. But hard work on the other side of the court, including a three by senior forward Ileri Ayo-Faleye, brought Vermont within 3 points of UNH at 43-39.
With 12 minutes left to play, the Cats were even with UNH at 44 points each. The teams traded the advantage back and forth as 2,102 fans waited to see which team would survive the elimination round.
Trailing New Hampshire by one point, junior guard TJ Hurley hit a three in the game’s final minutes right in front of the Vermont bench.
Less than a minute later, Fiorillo took a shot from the same spot to extend Vermont’s lead to 62-57. Patrick Gym erupted. The Cats would add one more basket to polish off the 64-57 comeback.
“I think it fed the team, that energy,” fan Carol Leinwohl of Colchester, Vt. said.
Bill Valliere, a season ticket holder from St. Albans, Vt., felt the pressure sitting in the stands.
“I’m getting a little too old for this, it was a little too close for comfort until the end, but they pulled it out,” he said.
UVM will host No. 3 University of Maine in the America East semifinals tomorrow at 7 p.m., while No. 1 Bryant University faces No. 4 University of Albany to determine which teams will compete for the conference championship.