BURLINGTON, VT – Seton Hall transfer Gus Yalden poured in 29 points to lead perennial America East power and preseason favorite Vermont past Siena Basketball 83-69 at Patrick Gymnasium. Gavin Doty delivered a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Saints who saw their seven-game win streak snapped.
 
Yalden shot 10-15 from the floor in just 23 minutes for Vermont (8-5) which shot 53% overall, including 70% (23-33) from two-point range. Sean Blake added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Catamounts which improved to 62-6 (.912) at Patrick Gymnasium over the past five seasons.
 
Brendan Coyle scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half for Siena (9-3, 2-0) which lost for the first time in exactly one month. The Saints seven-game win streak had matched the program's longest since winning a program record-tying 16 straight from Feb. 7, 2020 – Jan. 16, 2021.
 
Vermont led for the final 36 minutes and by as many as 23 points early in the second half to win their ninth straight in the series dating back to 2010.
 
Yalden scored 19 of his points in the first half on 7-9 shooting, 10 of which came during a decisive 24-6 run spanning eight minutes to propel the Catamounts to a commanding 30-14 advantage with 8:12 remaining. Vermont led by as many as 17 in the first half, and took a 41-27 lead at the break.
 
The Catamounts opened the second half on a 13-4 run to extend their lead to as large as 54-31 with 15:39 remaining before Siena clawed back. The Saints chipped away to rally back as close as 10 at 72-62 with 3:11 left, but Vermont responded with the ensuing seven points to quell the comeback bid.
 
Preseason All-Conference selection TJ Hurley contributed 13 points for the Catamounts which entered play averaging 77.7 points. The 83 points allowed were the most bequeathed so far this season by a Siena defense which entered the day ranked sixth nationally in scoring defense (61.4), and had allowed an average of just 59.4 points spanning their seven-game win streak.
 
Justice Shoats (12 points, five assists) and Christian Jones (10) rounded out the double figure scorers for the Saints which shot just 39% from the field including only 6-21 from three.
 
Siena continues its challenging, season-long four-game road trip to bookend the New Year with their first matchup against a Big Ten opponent in a decade. The Saints will look to put a bow on 2025 when they take on Indiana Monday at 6 p.m. in the Hoosier State.