Albany, N.Y. - Brendan Bald scored a career-high 20 points and Evan Fjeld added 19 as Vermont recorded its fourth consecutive win in a 63-54 America East Conference victory over UAlbany on Saturday, Jan. 29 at SEFCU Arena.
     Vermont (16-5, AE 7-2) led 45-40 midway through the second half, but then broke the game open by stringing together 12 straight points. Luke Apfeld, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman, had all seven of his points in that stretch. He scored with an offensive rebound, made a three-point play in transition, and tipped in a missed fastbreak layup. Bald's fourth 3-pointer of the contest from the top of the arc provided his team with a 57-40 advantage.
     UAlbany (11-13, AE 4-5) got within two points early in the final period on four occasions. Logan Aronhalt, who had 12 points, drilled a right baseline jumper to slice the deficit to 36-34. But the Catamounts, who shot 55.6 percent from the field after the break, always had an answer. Garrett Kissel, a 6'9" senior, hit a layup and was fouled for a three-point play. After a Great Dane basket, Fjeld, who was 8-of-13 from the floor, made a turnaround from left of the lane and Matt Glass followed a missed jumper.
     "Vermont was tougher as a group both physically and mentally," said UAlbany coach Will Brown, whose team made just 33.9 percent on 20-of-59 shooting. "They were more patient than us on offense. We missed good looks in the first half and tried to hit home runs in the second half."
     Vermont held a 28-24 halftime lead as both defenses limited their opponent to 35-percent shooting. The Catamounts led by nine in the early going before breaking a 12-12 deadlock with 13 of the game's next 16 points. Fjeld, an all-conference forward, had three baskets in that span, including a 14-foot jumper for a 10-point margin. UAlbany closed the gap by the intermission when Ralph Watts converted a drive in transition and hit a jumper on the right baseline.
     "They played together as a team and knew how to pick us apart on defense," Aronhalt offered. "They got what they wanted on offense. We need to step up our defense."
     Bald, a sophomore guard who made 8-of-12 shots, was also a key figure when his team won the first matchup of the season on Jan. 6, a 60-48 decision at UVM's Patrick Gymasium. Tim Ambrose netted 16 points for the Great Danes, who had their three-game win streak halted.
     "We need to get more stops because our defense wasn't at its best," explained Ambrose, whose squad has lost four in a row in this series. "We gave up transition layups and offensive rebounds. We have to limit teams to one shot."

Paw Prints:  UAlbany had its three-game winning streak stopped ... the Great Danes last won four in a row against America East Conference opponents in the 2006-07 campaign ... UAlbany is currently in fifth place in the conference standings ... Vermont is alone in second place and one game behind league-leader Maine ... Tim Ambrose has scored in double figures in 23 of 24 games this season ... the 6-foot senior is seventh on the all-time scoring list with 1,446 points and needs eight to pass Andre Duncan (1994-98) on the career chart ... the crowd of 3,754 was the second largest at SEFCU Arena this year ... UAlbany hosts the 14th annual Big Purple Growl, the University's Winter Homecoming, on Saturday, Feb. 5th.

Vermont 63, UAlbany 54 (1/29/11 at Albany, N.Y., SEFCU Arena)

Vermont 63

Albany 54