Vermont basketball squeezes out America East win behind freshman Sean Blake

Vermont basketball found itself in another tight America East Conference game on Saturday afternoon.

And the Catamounts nearly gave the game away with some late turnovers. Maine’s Quion Burns hit back-to-back shots to tie the game with under a minute left.

Then, in stepped the dynamic duo of senior Shamir Bogues and freshman Sean Blake. Blake drove toward the basket before kicking the ball out to Bogues. The senior drilled a deep 3-pointer giving the Catamounts the lead with 33 seconds left.

Blake followed up on the next possession with a pair of free throws to seal the game and give the Catamounts a much-needed, 55-49 victory over the Black Bears in front of 2,760 at Patrick Gym. The Catamounts (12-11, 5-3) avoided their first three-game losing streak vs conference foes in 15 years.

“I was really trying to clear my mind, just focus on getting that shot high and soft,” Blake said.

The Catamounts continued their dominance against Maine (14-9, 6-2), winning their 29th consecutive game against the Black Bears.

Vermont entered Saturday’s matchup with its most losses in America East play, three, since it had four in the 2020-2021 season. Maine has become much improved having won six straight prior to its trip to Burlington under former Catamounts assistant coach Chris Markwood.

“It’s nice to be the hunter for the first time in a long time, the underdog,” coach John Becker said.

While the Catamounts remain third in the America East standings, they do now own a head-to-head win over the current second-place team.

Maine’s only double digit scorers were Burns (11 points) and Christopher Mantis (12 points). Mantis was a thorn in Vermont’s side hitting four 3-pointers including three in the first half to keep the Black Bears in the game.

While TJ Hurley (15 points), Nick Fiorillo (11 points) and Bogues (12 points) provided the bulk of the offense, Blake played one of his best games of his young Catamounts career. The freshman was the next man up for the Catamounts and was the only bench player that saw action in the second half.

Blake finished the game with five points, seven rebounds (led the team), three assists and one steal. All of his assists came on critical plays. Blake connected with Bogues twice, a no-look pass for a layup early in the second half and the game winning 3-pointer, which pushed Vermont to a 52-49 lead. His other assist came on Hurley’s 3-pointer with four minutes left in the game.

“He played a really good game on both sides of the ball,” Becker said. “He just brings a really nice dimension to our offense and he played defense well.”

Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.