Vermont 79 Binghamton 57
Vermont buried Binghamton in the middle 20 minutes and punched their ticket to the America East final. At the beginning of the game the defenses for both teams were playing with intensity and energy. Then Dylan Penn caught fire, burying a career high four threes. Penn actually outscored the Bearcats on his own in the first half. Then to open the second half it was Kam Gibson's turn to take over. Gibson scored Vermont's first 11 points of the second half and the Cats never looked back. Vermont shot a scorching 60% from the field and committed only 4 turnovers. This team is absolutely locked in and just played their two best and most complete games of the season. They have found another gear in March and are truly playing their best basketball of the season.
Penn finished with 26 points on 11-17 shooting. He looks faster and faster every game and is relentless when he starts to feel it. The three point shooting was an unexpected bonus and is another example of how Penn has proven to be a player who can take his game to another level in the postseason. Kam Gibson finished with 15 points on 7-8 shooting following his second half outburst. Aaron Deloney gutted his way to 13 points to round out the double figure scorers. Tonight the player off the bench that changed the momentum was Ileri Ayo-Faleye. He had a couple nice buckets, and assist, and a steal in a crucial stretch in the first half. Finn Sullivan had another off night on offense but played gritty and tough on the defensive end. He has lost a little confidence on offense over the last few games and needs to see one go through the net. Robin Duncan continued his incredibly steady, heart and soul role, with another 8 rebound, 8 assist performance. It is just incredible to watch his attention to detail and ability to dominate those two facets of the game so consistently.
Now the stage is set for the rubber match to end all rubber matches. UMass Lowell was the last team to beat Vermont and Vermont was the last team to beat UMass Lowell. The two best teams in the America East ready to duke it out for the title on Saturday. There is nothing better than a sold out finals at Patrick.
