Final Score: Iona 68, Vermont 56-- BOX SCORE
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Steve Burtt scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as Iona topped Vermont, 68-56, in men's college basketball Sunday afternoon at the Mulcahy Center. Iona, in its home opener, won for the fifth time in five games. They outrebounded Vermont, 40-26, including 17-3 on the offensive glass. The Gaels' effort was bolstered by a 23-12 advantage on the boards in the second half. "We wanted to keep it close at halftime and we did. But in the second half we couldn't rebound and missed some free throws," said Vermont coach Mike Lonergan. "They are very athletic and a hard team to come back against. We are a young team that plays hard but sometimes that kind of effort isn't enough against experience, talent and quickness. " The Catamounts (2-4) trailed by one, 30-29, at the break and an early second half bucket by Martin Klimes (Prague, Czech Republic) gave them a 31-30 edge before Iona's defense held Vermont scoreless for nearly five minutes. Burtt fed Gary Springer for a layup to cap a 14-5 run to give the Gaels a 44-36 lead with 10:33 to go. A three-pointer by Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) drew Vermont to within five, 46-41, with 9:22 left before the Gaels answered with a 12-3 spurt over the next four and a half minutes. Iona closed out the Cats by hitting eight of 12 from the line in the last three minutes. Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) led UVM with 14 points, five assists and three steals, and Klimes had 12 points and seven rebounds. Kyle Cieplicki (Shelburne, Vt.) was a perfect four-of-four from the field for 11 points. He hit three three-pointers as the Catamounts stayed in the game shooting 53% (8-for-15) from beyond the arc. Schneider also added eight points and five boards while Josh Duell (Scotia, N.Y.) made his 2005-06 season debut coming off the bench with two points in seven minutes of action. Vermont shot 49% overall from the floor for the game, 58% in the first half, but was also hurt by committing 17 turnovers, 12 in the opening 20 minutes. UVM also made just six of 13 (46%) from the free throw line compared to Iona shooting 81% (21-for-26). In addition to Burtt, forward Kiril Wachsmann scored 10 points and had a game-high 10 boards while Ricky Soliver added 10 points and seven rebounds. Marvin McCullough chipped in with eight points and five assists. The game with Iona, off to its best start since 1984-85 and the preseason favorite to win the MAAC, concludes a tough opening six games for Vermont. The youthful Catamounts have faced a Big East team (Providence), a nationally-ranked team (Nevada) and four schools picked to finish first or second in their conference (Harvard, Wagner, Holy Cross and Iona). UVM returns home to open the defense of its three straight America East titles hosting New Hampshire Saturday at 1:00pm (Radio: WXZO 96.7 FM, WEAV 960 AM, WCVR 102.1 FM; Internet: www.sportsjuice.com). General admission tickets are available for all Vermont regular season home games at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-866-4-CAT-TIX. Tickets are also available on line at www.uvmathletics.com. The first 1,000 fans will receive a 2005-06 team poster compliments of ClearChannel Vermont Radio and the Catamounts will be available following the game for autographs.
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Steve Burtt scored 17 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as Iona topped Vermont, 68-56, in men's college basketball Sunday afternoon at the Mulcahy Center. Iona, in its home opener, won for the fifth time in five games. They outrebounded Vermont, 40-26, including 17-3 on the offensive glass. The Gaels' effort was bolstered by a 23-12 advantage on the boards in the second half. "We wanted to keep it close at halftime and we did. But in the second half we couldn't rebound and missed some free throws," said Vermont coach Mike Lonergan. "They are very athletic and a hard team to come back against. We are a young team that plays hard but sometimes that kind of effort isn't enough against experience, talent and quickness. " The Catamounts (2-4) trailed by one, 30-29, at the break and an early second half bucket by Martin Klimes (Prague, Czech Republic) gave them a 31-30 edge before Iona's defense held Vermont scoreless for nearly five minutes. Burtt fed Gary Springer for a layup to cap a 14-5 run to give the Gaels a 44-36 lead with 10:33 to go. A three-pointer by Ryan Schneider (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) drew Vermont to within five, 46-41, with 9:22 left before the Gaels answered with a 12-3 spurt over the next four and a half minutes. Iona closed out the Cats by hitting eight of 12 from the line in the last three minutes. Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) led UVM with 14 points, five assists and three steals, and Klimes had 12 points and seven rebounds. Kyle Cieplicki (Shelburne, Vt.) was a perfect four-of-four from the field for 11 points. He hit three three-pointers as the Catamounts stayed in the game shooting 53% (8-for-15) from beyond the arc. Schneider also added eight points and five boards while Josh Duell (Scotia, N.Y.) made his 2005-06 season debut coming off the bench with two points in seven minutes of action. Vermont shot 49% overall from the floor for the game, 58% in the first half, but was also hurt by committing 17 turnovers, 12 in the opening 20 minutes. UVM also made just six of 13 (46%) from the free throw line compared to Iona shooting 81% (21-for-26). In addition to Burtt, forward Kiril Wachsmann scored 10 points and had a game-high 10 boards while Ricky Soliver added 10 points and seven rebounds. Marvin McCullough chipped in with eight points and five assists. The game with Iona, off to its best start since 1984-85 and the preseason favorite to win the MAAC, concludes a tough opening six games for Vermont. The youthful Catamounts have faced a Big East team (Providence), a nationally-ranked team (Nevada) and four schools picked to finish first or second in their conference (Harvard, Wagner, Holy Cross and Iona). UVM returns home to open the defense of its three straight America East titles hosting New Hampshire Saturday at 1:00pm (Radio: WXZO 96.7 FM, WEAV 960 AM, WCVR 102.1 FM; Internet: www.sportsjuice.com). General admission tickets are available for all Vermont regular season home games at the UVM Athletic Ticket Office by calling 1-866-4-CAT-TIX. Tickets are also available on line at www.uvmathletics.com. The first 1,000 fans will receive a 2005-06 team poster compliments of ClearChannel Vermont Radio and the Catamounts will be available following the game for autographs.