THE BASICS:

RESULT: Vermont 79, Hartford 66
LOCATION: Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion (West Hartford, Conn.)
ATTENDANCE: 1,898
RECORDS: Hartford (6-18, 1-8 America East); Vermont (20-5, 10-0)

PHOTO GALLERY

THE LEAD:
Vermont remained undefeated in conference play, taking a 14-point lead into halftime and maintaining that edge throughout the second half, claiming a 79-66 victory against the University of Hartford men's basketball team in Chase Arena at Reich Family Pavilion on Saturday night.
 
Freshman Anthony Lamb led all scorers with 24 points and senior forward Darren Payen added 19 to help the Catamounts (20-5, 10-0 America East) maintain their perfect league mark. Leading scorer Trae Bell-Haynes was held to four points in the win, but delivered five assists.
 
Junior forward Hassan Attia recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds in the loss for Hartford. Jason Dunne notched a team-best 16 points, while Jalen Ross finished with 15, to push his double-figure scoring streak to 38 consecutive games.


 
FIRST HALF:
Both teams came out smoking to start the contest, with a J.R. Lynch three, a George Blagojevic jumper and a Ross deuce providing the scoring in an 8-7 Vermont edge. But the Catamounts delivered a significant run, scoring 13 of the next 15 points to take a 21-9 lead after a Kurt Steidl three-ball. Vermont eventually pushed its lead to 26-12.
 
The Hawks rallied at that juncture, with a Dunne three sending the home squad on a 5-0 run to cut the lead to nine. The teams traded baskets over the next several possessions, but UVM went on a late 6-0 run to push the lead to 40-24 before an Attia layup cut it to 40-26, a score that would carry into the halftime break.
 
SECOND HALF:
The Hawks picked up their scoring in the second half, but Vermont seemed to have an answer for every Hartford bucket. Jack Hobbs cut the Hawks' deficit to nine with a three-pointer early in the half, but Vermont's Ernie Duncan answered with another three on UVM's next possession and the Catamounts held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
 
Hartford shot 6-for-9 from behind the arc after halftime and finished 9-for-22 (.409) for the game. Vermont held the edge in turnovers though, committing just six, and knocked down 17-of-22 free throws. The Hawks attempted just 13 from the charity stripe, hitting 11.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• With 15 points, Ross extended his double-figure scoring streak to 38-straight games, dating back to January of last year. He scored 13 of his 15 points after halftime.
• Attia's double-double (11 points, 12 rebounds) was the first of his career. He had previously reached double digits in scoring twice, with 12 against New Hampshire (Jan. 22) and 11 against Yale (Jan. 2). His previous best in rebounding came with 11 boards against Maine (Jan. 16). It marked the second Hawks' double-double of the year, the first by John Carroll against Drexel.
• Dunne's 16 points were his most since netting 22 at Stony Brook (Jan. 19). He has now reached double figures four times in America East play, including the Hawks' past two contests.
• Hartford's .409 three-point percentage was the team's best since going 7-for-16 (.438) at Vermont on Jan. 8.
• The Catamounts' six turnovers were the fewest by an opponent against the Hawks this season. The previous low was eight, by Davidson, on Dec. 28.

 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks travel to take on Maine on Monday at 7 p.m. in Bangor. Hartford's lone conference victory to date came against the Black Bears, at home, on Jan. 16. Ross dropped 19 points and Dunne scored 10 in the 54-44 victory for the Hawks. Maine has lost seven in a row and is coming off an 83-71 setback versus UMBC.