Vermont Sports Network - Vermont Men's Basketball Defeats NJIT 91-71; Trimboli Reaches 1,000 Points

FINAL SCORE: Vermont 91, NJIT 71 - Box Score
NEWARK, N.J. – Junior Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) scored a game-high 22 points including the 1,000th of his career to help the University of Vermont men’s basketball team earn its first victory of the season as the Catamounts defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 91-71 on Tuesday night. Sophomore Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) just missed out on a triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists as Vermont improves to 1-3 with the win.

“Our guys came out really focused and ready to play at the start of the game,” said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. “Mike, Kyle (Cieplicki) and Marqus had tremendous first halves as we tried to force the tempo and cause turnovers. The good start allowed us to play the whole bench and everyone contributed tonight.”

Vermont stormed out of the gates in the opening half, taking a 26-3 on a good jumper by sophomore Nick Vier (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), as NJIT (0-4) had only one field goal in the first 9:51 of the contest.

Trimboli entered the game only 16 points shy of 1,000 for his career and with 2:54 before the half he became the 27th Catamount in school history to reach the milestone. The junior went a perfect 7-for-7 in the first frame, netting 16 points in the process. His seven field goals matched that of NJIT as a team in the half.

Vermont led 34-12 after a three-point play by NJIT’s Dan Stonkus with 6:32 left, as the Catamounts would push their lead to 34 over the next 3:38 with a 13-1 run. Trimboli had seven in the run, giving Vermont its biggest lead of the game at 47-13.

Every Catamount to dress played in the opening 8:19 of the game and 10 of the 12 scored in the half. Vermont shot 59.4 percent from the floor in the first stanza and forced the Highlanders into 14 turnovers on its way to a 50-27 advantage going into the break.

NJIT would only cut Vermont’s lead to under 20 once in the second half as with the Catamounts on top 70-45 with 10:39 to go in the contest, Stonkus and Jheryl Wilson each sunk two free throws over the next 25 seconds, but that would be as close as the Highlanders would get.

The 22 points were a season-high for Trimboli, who also added six assists as he was 9-for-10 from the floor for the game. Blakely earned his second career double-double as he set new personal highs for rebounds and assists, while tying a career-high with four steals as well.

Written by Vermont Sports Network
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Source: UVMAthletics.com Author: Benjamin Ryan Dickie Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Phone: 802/656-1188 Fax: (802) 656-3203 FINAL SCORE: Vermont 91, NJIT 71 - Box Score NEWARK, N.J. – Junior Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) scored a game-high 22 points including the 1,000th of his career to help the University of Vermont men’s basketball team earn its first victory of the season as the Catamounts defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 91-71 on Tuesday night. Sophomore Marqus Blakely (Metuchen, N.J.) just missed out on a triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists as Vermont improves to 1-3 with the win. “Our guys came out really focused and ready to play at the start of the game,” said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. “Mike, Kyle (Cieplicki) and Marqus had tremendous first halves as we tried to force the tempo and cause turnovers. The good start allowed us to play the whole bench and everyone contributed tonight.” Vermont stormed out of the gates in the opening half, taking a 26-3 on a good jumper by sophomore Nick Vier (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), as NJIT (0-4) had only one field goal in the first 9:51 of the contest. Trimboli entered the game only 16 points shy of 1,000 for his career and with 2:54 before the half he became the 27th Catamount in school history to reach the milestone. The junior went a perfect 7-for-7 in the first frame, netting 16 points in the process. His seven field goals matched that of NJIT as a team in the half. Vermont led 34-12 after a three-point play by NJIT’s Dan Stonkus with 6:32 left, as the Catamounts would push their lead to 34 over the next 3:38 with a 13-1 run. Trimboli had seven in the run, giving Vermont its biggest lead of the game at 47-13. Every Catamount to dress played in the opening 8:19 of the game and 10 of the 12 scored in the half. Vermont shot 59.4 percent from the floor in the first stanza and forced the Highlanders into 14 turnovers on its way to a 50-27 advantage going into the break. NJIT would only cut Vermont’s lead to under 20 once in the second half as with the Catamounts on top 70-45 with 10:39 to go in the contest, Stonkus and Jheryl Wilson each sunk two free throws over the next 25 seconds, but that would be as close as the Highlanders would get. The 22 points were a season-high for Trimboli, who also added six assists as he was 9-for-10 from the floor for the game. Blakely earned his second career double-double as he set new personal highs for rebounds and assists, while tying a career-high with four steals as well.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 November 2007 )