• The Vermont Catamounts defeated the New Hampshire Wildcats 64-57 in the America East quarterfinals.
• TJ Hurley led the Catamounts with 18 points, while Nick Fiorillo added 10 points.

Vermont basketball has been here before. Exactly one year ago, TJ Long’s 3-pointer in the final minute was the go-ahead basket as the Catamounts rallied to deny Albany’s upset bid in the 2024 America East quarterfinals.

While not nearly as dramatic as Long’s late-game triple, Vermont endured another major scare Saturday afternoon in the conference’s opening round of playoffs.

And the Catamounts survived to advance once again.

Second-seeded and three-time reigning champion Vermont finished the game on a 10-0 run to knock off No. 7 New Hampshire for a 64-57 league quarterfinal triumph in front of 2,102 at Patrick Gym.

“Today felt like a vintage Vermont game,” Vermont coach John Becker said. “That was really, really good to see. Any time you can be in a tight game and win, it’s going to help you and give you confidence that … if it is close, we know how to win and certainly we’ve proven that over the last couple decades.”

More: Vermont basketball at America East tournament: Schedule, bracket, game dates, how to watch

UNH gained the upper hand on Davide Poser’s 3-pointer and freshman Khalil Badru’s foul shots for a 57-54 advantage with 3:01 left in regulation.

TJ Hurley then drove baseline for a tough finish at the rim, beating the shot clock, and then knocked down a corner 3-pointer to put the Catamounts (21-11) in front at 59-57 with 2:03 to go. On UVM’s next trip, Hurley wrapped a baseline pass to Nick Fiorillo, who poured in a 3-pointer for a five-point edge with 1:06 on the clock.

While Vermont struggle at the foul line to close it out, UNH missed its final seven field-goal attempts.

Hurley finished with 18 points on 8 of 14 shooting, while Fiorillo added 10 points, six rebounds and four assists. Ileri Ayo-Faleye put up a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds along with three blocks for the Catamounts, who trailed 34-26 at the break.

“The message at halftime was, we’ve been here before and we know what it takes to win,” Hurley said.

Another America East semifinal for Vermont basketball

Although they flirted with an early exit for a second straight year, Vermont basketball booked its trip to the semifinals for the 16th straight season. During that span, the Catamounts have gone on to the title game 10 times (2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024).

Becker has been the coach for nine of conference title-game berths.

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Vermont basketball overcomes sluggish first half vs. UNH

The Catamounts trailed by as many as nine points in the opening 20 minutes, but it could’ve been much worse. They committed too many turnovers (eight), allowed too many 3-pointers (seven) and made only 1 of 10 from beyond the arc to sum up a putrid first half for the hosts.

Vermont also let Badru drain half as many as 3s (4) than he has all season.

However, Vermont’s defense toughened in the second half: UNH made only 1 of 11 of its 3-point attempts, while the Catamounts buried six triples and shot 58.3% overall in a second half they won 38-23.

Up next for Vermont basketball at America East tournament

The Catamounts will host a semifinal game vs No. 3 Maine on Tuesday, March 11 at Patrick Gym. Vermont seeks its fourth straight America East tournament championship.

Game time Tuesday will be 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

More: Second-seeded Vermont women’s basketball overcomes nerves, rolls to AE quarterfinal rout

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.