With four minutes remaining in the first half on Wednesday, Vermont Catamounts forward Isaiah Powell stood with his knees bent directly in front of the hoop. Taking all the time he needed, he lined up his shot and drained a 3-pointer completely uncontested.
Thirty seconds later, his teammate Ryan Davis did the same, putting Vermont (10-4, 2-0 AE) up by 11 points and ensuring they would lead by double digits the rest of the night.
Once the 98-65 beatdown ended, Vermont had set a conference record by going 19-for-30 from 3-point range and handed the Stony Brook men’s basketball team its largest defeat since losing to Hofstra by 38 in December 2016.
Eight different Vermont players scored from beyond the arc, the same amount of Stony Brook players who made any type of field goal. Guard Finn Sullivan led the Catamounts with four 3-pointers and 19 points.
It was the latest defensive embarrassment for the Seawolves (9-6, 1-1 AE), who are allowing 74.5 points per game — ninth out of 10 America East teams — and have allowed 70 or more points in 11 of their 15 games this season.
“Vermont played great,” head coach Geno Ford said in a postgame press release. “They came in shooting 29 percent from three as a team but were able to hit 15 of their first 21, so have to give them a lot of credit. We played very well offensively in the first half, shooting 56 percent from the field and yet we were still down double figures.”
The miscues started early in Vermont, as Stony Brook allowed two Davis 3-pointers in the first four minutes to fall behind 14-10. They never regained the lead.
For most of the first half, Stony Brook’s reliable offense at least kept them competitive. Redshirt junior guards Tykei Greene and Anthony Roberts combined for five 3-pointers before halftime and each finished with a team-high 13 points.
But no amount of firepower could accommodate a Seawolves defense that consistently appeared confused and outmatched, allowing the Catamounts to shoot 62.5 percent from the field and outrebound Stony Brook 34-18. Down 53-39 at the half, the Seawolves let up 16 points in five minutes to erase any chance of a comeback.
“We have a quick turnaround coming, so we can’t sulk over a poor result,” Ford said.
Vermont’s 98 points were 10 more than Stony Brook allowed against No. 9 Kansas in November. Stony Brook has dropped 11 of its last 12 games against Vermont, including four straight.
