WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Poor Shooting Sinks UVM Men & Women in Conference Hoop Openers

Poor Shooting Sinks UVM Men & Women in Conference Hoop Openers

BURLINGTON, Vt. – Junior Dani Klupenger scored a game-high 18 points and went 4-for-6 from three-point range to help the Stony Brook Seawolves pull out a 54-47 victory over the Vermont Catamounts in the America East opener for both teams at Patrick Gymnasium.
 
Stony Brook earns its third straight win and improves to 4-10 overall and opens league play with a 1-0 mark.  Vermont suffers its seventh straight loss and falls to 6-8 overall, 0-1 in America East.
  
Neither team could get on track offensively in the first half as each squad shot under 30 percent from the field.  The Seawolves went over seven minutes without a field goal, while the Catamounts had a drought that lasted over six minutes.
 
The Seawolves took the lead from the tip and held on throughout the half.  Vermont cut the lead to two, 13-11, at the 3:48 mark on a free throw by Lauren Buschmann.  Stony Brook answered with an 8-3 run, behind a pair of three-pointers from Dani Klupenger, over the final 2:29 of the half to take a 21-14 lead, its largest of the half, at the break.
 
Stony Brook finished the game shooting 22-for-29 from the foul line, while the Catamounts were 10-for-21.  Both teams shot 28 percent from the floor.  The Seawolves won the rebounding battle, out rebounding Vermont 46-40 in the game and posted 16 second chance points to UVM's seven.
 
Buschmann posted her fifth double-double of the year with 11 points and 13 rebounds to lead Vermont.  Taylor was one rebound shy of a double-double, chipping in 10 points and nine caroms.
 
Vermont returns to action on Wednesday (Jan. 4) when it hosts Boston University at 7 p.m. at Patrick Gymnasium.

STONY BROOK, N.Y.  – Al Rapier led three Seawolves in double figures with 17 points as Stony Brook earned a 65-59 victory over the Vermont men's basketball team on Monday night in the America East opener for both squads. Sophomore Luke Apfeld paced the Catamounts with 18 points, as they fall to 6-9 overall and 0-1 in league play.

Vermont shot only 30.8 percent in the second half and went without a field goal for a stretch of 12:53 in the deciding frame. Stony Brook (6-6, 1-0 America East) remains perfect at home, improving to 6-0, as Dave Coley (15) and Bryan Dougher (14) also reached double figures for the Seawolves.

Apfeld went a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 8-for-11 from the line to lead UVM after missing the previous game. Sandro Carissimo chipped in with a season-high 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting and added a game-high five assists. While Apfeld and Carissimo combined to go 11-for-16, the rest of the team went only 7-for-37.

Tommy Brenton added a game-high nine rebounds to go with eight points and four assists for Stony Brook, as the Seawolves controlled the glass 37-29.

Vermont returns to action on Thursday when it hosts Boston U at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised on WCAXtra.

-Courtesy Vermont Sports Information