BURLINGTON, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College men's basketball team fell in an exhibition contest at Division I University of Vermont, 94-65, on Saturday in Patrick Gymnasium. The squads have now faced off in 17 consecutive seasons, with the annual meeting an exhibition game each year but 2002-03. The Catamounts were last year's America East Tournament runner-up before making a postseason appearance beyond their league tournament for the eighth consecutive season, advancing to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational.

Senior point guard Zaire Williams (Paterson, N.J./Newark Academy) led the Purple Knights with 13 points in 22 minutes off the bench, shooting 3-for-3 from three-point range with four rebounds and two steals. First-year Eli DiGrande (Essex Junction, Vt./Essex) had 12 points with five boards, shooting 4-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 on free throws, while junior point guard Colin Richey (Upton, Mass./Choate Rosemary Hall) was also in double figures, netting 11 points.

Despite using only three players who stood taller than 6-foot-5, versus eight such Catamounts, Saint Michael's held a 38-33 rebounding advantage, including 13-7 on the offensive glass, which led to a 17-6 lead in second-chance points. The visitors were also just outscored in the paint 32-26. Sophomore Derek Cheatom (Buffalo, N.Y./The Park School of Buffalo) neared a double-double behind eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and nine boards, and senior Matt Bonds (Accokeek, Md./North Point) had nine points and six caroms, including four offensive. Redshirt first-year Stan Foster (Rochester, N.Y./Avon Old Farms School) posted two assists and two steals, and sophomore Levi Holmes III (East Brunswick, N.J./Rutgers Prep) scored eight points.

Vermont, which took 30 of its 56 shots from beyond the arc, received 21 points from redshirt sophomore Ernie Duncan, who went 5-of-9 from deep and added four assists. First-year Anthony Lamb posted 18 points, eight rebounds and four blocks off the bench, and redshirt junior Payton Henson and junior Drew Urquhart both added 10 points.

After trailing 5-0 by the time 2:01 had elapsed in the contest, the Purple Knights netted the next six points, going ahead on junior Bruno Beča's (Zagreb, Croatia/Westchester Country Day School) lay-in at 13:57 off of Williams' drive and dish. Five straight points by senior Dre Wills were met by two Williams freebies at 12:17, bringing the visitors within 9-8, but Duncan had seven points in a 9-2 run that made it 18-10 with 10:44 to go. Saint Michael's twice trimmed its deficit to six, first on a pair of DiGrande free throws and then on Richey's mid-range jumper, and Richey banked a runner to counter a Duncan triple to make it 23-16 at the nine-minute mark.

The Catamounts responded with a 17-4 run over a 4:21 span, as Lamb scored 13 by himself, including a three-point play that capped the jaunt and created a 40-20 score with 3:55 to go. Vermont led by as many as 22 points before the Purple Knights went on a 7-0 run that spanned halftime, as Richey hit a pair of jumpers and Williams drained a three. The hosts pushed their lead past 20 points six more times before another Williams triple brought the visitors within 66-50 at 11:26 of the second half, but a 23-7 run gave Vermont additional breathing room.

The Purple Knights open their season next weekend at Saint Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) College's Spartan Invitational, beginning by taking on the host on Friday at 5 p.m.