Vermont holds onto lead for victory

DAYTON — The University of Vermont Catamounts proved it is possible to maintain a big lead in the NCAA First Four as they eliminated Lamar 71-59 Wednesday.

After watching Iona and Mississippi Valley State blow leads of 25 and 16, respectively, Tuesday night, Vermont surged to a double-digit lead in the first half, boosted it to 16 in the second half and never let the Cardinals get any closer than seven en route to the program’s second career NCAA tournament victory before a crowd of 7,219 at UD Arena.

Under the guidance of first-year coach John Becker, who came to Vermont in 2006 making just $10,000 a year as director of operations, the 16th-seeded Catamounts will face No. 1 North Carolina at 4:10 p.m. Friday in Greensboro, N.C.

In Wednesday’s late game, the South Florida Bulls showed why they led the Big East in defense this season as they locked down California for a 65-54 victory.

No. 12 USF will play No. 5 Temple at 9:50 p.m. Friday in Nashville, Tenn.

Tuesday’s star

Freshman guard Four McGlynn came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points. The America East Rookie of the Year, whose given name is Patrick McGlynn IV, made 5-of-9 shots, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and added three rebounds, three assists and no turnovers.

Key stat

Led by McGlynn’s 18 points, the Vermont bench accounted for 35 of the team’s 71 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and no turnovers. Lamar got just five points from its bench.

Quote

“My parents are in the back (of the interview room). Had to borrow money from them a couple of years ago, 38-year-old man with a couple of kids, to realize a dream. And that’s what family is for. And I’m a lucky man to have parents that supported me like that. And a wife that was willing to go for this plan. And now it’s coming up aces.” — Vermont coach John Becker

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

About the Author