BUFFALO, NY — Stanley Umude was the Arkansas Razorbacks’ (26-8, 13-5 SEC) leading scorer with 21 points and nine rebounds. He helped Arkansas slip past the UVM Catamounts (28-6, 17-1 American East) in a 75-71 victory.
This was a tight match between both teams. UVM had a four-point lead but the Razorbacks countered with a 9-0 run to have a 22-17 lead over the Catamounts.
The Catamounts weren’t fazed by their run as they would bounce back and later tie the game.
In the final two minutes of the first half, the Razorbacks went on a 7-0 run. They entered halftime with a 34-27 lead over UVM.
JD Notae was off to a slow start which was a surprise for Arkansas. He went scoreless in the first half, while shooting 0-for-4 from the field and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line.
However, Davonte Davis took over for Notae with 10 first half points.
“We’re gonna need JD in the second half to give us a little more than what we got in the first half,” said Arkansas coach Eric Musselman. “But D’Vo Davis played phenomenal for us at the point guard position.”
The Catamounts opened the second half with a 12-0 to have a three-point lead over Arkansas. From there, both teams continued to trade buckets with each other.
Later in the game, Arkansas slowly pulled away with a 11-5 run to give them a 67-58 lead, but Vermont didn’t fold and cut their deficit to three points.
Fortunately for the Razorbacks, they were able to hold on to their lead and advance to the second round of the West Region bracket in the NCAA Tournament.
Notae played better in the second half and finished the game with 17 points and seven rebounds. Jaylin Williams finished the game with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
“Vermont is so well coached, they know their role so well, cannot give their coaching staff enough credit, and their players executed so well,” said coach Musselman. “We have a great respect for Vermont. Coming into the game, we knew that it was gonna come down to the last couple of minutes and I am just happy that we survived.”
Great Game For Catamounts
Despite their loss, Vermont fought all the way to the very end.
Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu combined for 40 points for UVM. Davis finished the game with 20 points while shooting 7-for-10 (70.0%) from the field and 4-for-5 (80.0%) from the field.
Shungu also had 20 points and pulled down six boards.
As a team, the Catamounts shot 22-for-58 (44.8%) from the field, 10-for-17 (58.8%) from the free-throw line, and 9-for-24 (37.5%) from behind the arc.
Vermont also protected the ball well as they only had six turnovers.
Up Next
Arkansas will face off against the New Mexico State Aggies on March 19. The time is to be determined.
 leading scorer with 21 points and nine rebounds as Arkansas slips past the UVM Catamounts (28-6, 17-1 American East) in a 75-71 victory.){kind=link}