Vermont at Stony Brook 2/21/20

Vermont 63 Stony Brook 54

Vermont still runs on Duncan.

Everett and Robin Duncan teamed up on offense and defense to lift Vermont to victory over Stony Brook. Vermont struggled to find any offensive rhythm for the entire game until Everett put the team on his back and made three shots from distance down the stretch. At the same time Robin locked up Makale Foreman on defense forcing two big turnovers as the Vermont defense again flummoxed their opponent. Everett finished with a big time 11 point, 10 rebound double double and Robin led the team with 6 assists. The player that kept Vermont in the game from start to finish was Ben Shungu. In a grind it out game, Mr. Grind himself came to play. Shungu out-muscled Stony Brook all night and finished with a career high 16 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, 4 of which were on the offensive end. His quickness and body control underneath the basket has been incredible during this win streak. The offensive boards he pulled down tonight were huge and he was his usual relentless self on the defensive end. He also knocked down a big three during the defining end of game run. Ryan Davis also continued his strong play with a 9 point, 9 rebound performance. If you haven't read between the lines this game was won on the boards. Vermont dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Seawolves 45-33. Isaiah Powell joined the fun as well knocking down his first two threes of the season and finishing with 9 points. It was truly another team win with Stef Smith contributing 9 of his own to the balanced scoring effort. All of this on a night where Anthony Lamb played probablly the worst offensive game of his career. Lamb finished 1-9 from the field for 3 points. He did pull down 6 rebounds and dish out 4 assists but never got anything going on the offensive end. He did provide incredible leadership as this team really showed mental toughness by winning another tough road game in a hostile environment. This team is coming together at the right time and the drive and determination is on display each game. Now they can clinch the regular season title with a win against a surging UMBC squad. That will be no easy game as the Retrievers are playing their best basketball of the season. The Cats are going to have to dig deep and avoid the letdown that sometimes comes after a big win. The first box on the championship task list can be checked by securing the regular season title on Saturday night.